precede

American  

[pri-seed] / prɪˈsid /

verb (used with object)

precedes, present (3rd person singular) preceded, past participle, past preceding present participle

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)

precedes, present (3rd person singular) preceded, past participle, past preceding present participle

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

Derived Forms

• precedable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• preceding
  present
• preceded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• precede
  simple
• precedes
  simple
• have preceded
  perfect
• has preceded
  perfect
• am preceding
  progressive
• are preceding
  progressive
• is preceding
  progressive
• have been preceding
  perfect progressive
• has been preceding
  perfect progressive

Past

• preceded
  simple
• had preceded
  perfect
• was preceding
  progressive
• were preceding
  progressive
• had been preceding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will precede
  simple
• will have preceded
  perfect
• will be preceding
  progressive
• will have been preceding
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

Putin called the note "rude" and refused the request for a meeting, reiterating his position that peace talks should precede any ceasefire.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

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

Mrs. Moss’s lips turned into a snide grin, an expression that used to precede some of her meltdowns.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Related Words

• anticipate
• foreshadow
• predate
• presage