precede
Americanverb (used with object)
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to go before, as in place, order, rank, importance, or time.
-
to introduce by something preliminary; preface.
to precede one's statement with a qualification.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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to go or be before (someone or something) in time, place, rank, etc
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(tr) to preface or introduce
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of precede
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English preceden, from Latin praecēdere; see pre-, cede
Explanation
To precede is to come before. A short speech will precede the dinner. As you walk down the garden path, the bed of roses precedes the holly bush. When marching into the room, the younger kids precede the older ones. Precede is one of many verbs ending in "-ceed" or "-cede" that trace their roots back to the Latin word cedere which means "to go." For precede, know that it's pre "first" + cedere "go." When you precede, you go first. You might precede your best friend in line, lunch might precede math class, a joke might precede a lecture, and radio preceded television. Anything that goes first or comes before precedes.
Vocabulary lists containing precede
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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ACT Vocabulary List
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There are brief Mexican accents, such as the mariachi-style trumpets that precede the market scene.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
But reducing extreme ideas to their brutal implementation ignores all the events that precede the bullet.
From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026
But investigations precede recalls, which are the culmination of investigations.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
That’s because the ominous earnings revisions and stock price trends that typically precede market weakness are not in place, Raich said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026
And it kills me, I mean it’s the weirdest thing sometimes the way they precede the idea with some kind of phrase.
From "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
