Jump To:

• pre-
  pre-

  a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, where it meant “before” (preclude; prevent ); applied freely as a prefix, with the meanings “prior to,” “in advance of,” “early,” “beforehand,” “before,” “in front of,” and with other figurative meanings (preschool; prewar; prepay; preoral; prefrontal ).
• P.R.E.
  P.R.E.

  abbreviation

  Petroleum Refining Engineer.

pre-

¹ American  

Also prae-

1. a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, where it meant “before” (preclude; prevent ); applied freely as a prefix, with the meanings “prior to,” “in advance of,” “early,” “beforehand,” “before,” “in front of,” and with other figurative meanings (preschool; prewar; prepay; preoral; prefrontal ).

---

P.R.E. ² American  

abbreviation

1. Petroleum Refining Engineer.

---

pre- British  

prefix

1. before in time, rank, order, position, etc

   predate

   pre-eminent

   premeditation

   prefrontal

   preschool

---

Etymology

Origin of pre-

< Latin prae-, prefixal use of prae (preposition and adv.); akin to first, fore-, prior ¹, pro ¹

Example Sentences

Fifth, meaningfully reward peer review in both pre- and post-tenure evaluations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

“NewsNation got the last Republican primary debate, and for the pre- and postshow discussions, they didn’t have a single Democrat,” she said.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

Three hours might seem a stretch for this subject, but with the Walden period bookended by the lesser known pre- and post-Walden years, it stays interesting all along.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

The IRS limit on total pre- and post-tax contributions is about $75,000, so I have been working the last few years to pad our Roth savings.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

When Henige wrote Numbers from Nowhere, the fight about pre- Columbian population had already consumed forests’ worth of trees—his bibliography is ninety pages long.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann