precede

American  

[pri-seed] / prɪˈsid /

verb (used with object)

preceded, preceding

1. to go before, as in place, order, rank, importance, or time.

2. to introduce by something preliminary; preface.

   to precede one's statement with a qualification.

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verb (used without object)

preceded, preceding

1. to go or come before.

noun

1. Journalism. copy printed at the beginning of a news story presenting late bulletins, editorial notes, or prefatory remarks.

precede British  

/ prɪˈsiːd /

verb

1. to go or be before (someone or something) in time, place, rank, etc

2. (tr) to preface or introduce

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Other Word Forms

• precedable adjective

Etymology

Origin of precede

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English preceden, from Latin praecēdere; pre-, cede

Example Sentences

"The happiness of a father or a mother or a sister shouldn't precede the happiness of a daughter."

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Last week’s spinning top candle points to possible downside exhaustion following an early March doji, a combination that can precede near-term stabilization.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

This preface, which harks back to “Richard II” and “Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2” in addition to the three parts of “Henry VI” that immediately precede “Richard III,” crowds an already crowded plot.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Rate checks are inquiries about the pricing available and can precede a direct intervention in the currency market.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

Some scientists think that when expansion is followed by contraction, when the spectra of distant galaxies are all blue-shifted, causality will be inverted and effects will precede causes.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• anticipate
• foreshadow
• predate
• presage