precedent

[ noun pres-i-duh nt; adjective pri-seed-nt, pres-i-duh nt ]

/ noun ˈprɛs ɪ dənt; adjective prɪˈsid nt, ˈprɛs ɪ dənt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR precedent ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Law. a legal decision or form of proceeding serving as an authoritative rule or pattern in future similar or analogous cases.

any act, decision, or case that serves as a guide or justification for subsequent situations.

adjective pre·ce·dent [pri-seed-nt, pres-i-duh nt] /prɪˈsid nt, ˈprɛs ɪ dənt/

going or coming before; preceding; anterior.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THIS MIDDLE SCHOOL PART OF SPEECH QUIZ!

How well do you know your adjectives from your adverbs? Your preposition from your pronouns? Your interjections from your conjunctions? Let’s put your knowledge of parts of speech to the text! Note: Many of the following questions will ask you to identify the parts of speech “in order.” That means the first word in all capital letters will correspond to the first option in an answer, and so on.

Question 1 of 10

In order, what parts of speech are the words in all capital letters? Alisa was VERY tired, SO she decided to go to bed.

adverb, adverb

adverb, conjunction

adjective, conjunction

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of precedent

1350–1400; (adj.) Middle English < Latin praecēdent- (stem of praecēdēns) present participle of praecēdere to go before, precede (see -ent); (noun) late Middle English, derivative of the adj.

OTHER WORDS FROM precedent

prec·e·dent·less, adjectivenon·prec·e·dent, nounnon·pre·ced·ent, adjectivequa·si-pre·ced·ent, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH precedent

precedence precedents presidents

Words nearby precedent

precautious, precava, precede, precedence, precedency, precedent, precedented, precedential, preceding, precent, precentor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for precedents

Historical parallels and precedents for social media abound.
Social Media is So Old Even the Romans Had It|Nick Romeo|October 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This is about a health-care law that is reality and the setting of precedents on executive power.
Washington’s Other Car Crash: Obama vs. the Boehner Rule|Michael Tomasky|October 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Ironically, almost all the precedents he mentions demonstrate the need for partition of one kind or another.
Partition Skepticism and the Future of the Peace Process|Avner Inbar, Assaf Sharon|September 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
John Roberts assured the Senate Judiciary Committee that judges must "be bound down by rules and precedents."
John Roberts Is Just a Liar|Michael Tomasky|June 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST

At a press luncheon Tuesday, he again expressed his confidence that the justices will “abide by well-established” precedents.
Obama Follows Reagan, FDR in Airing Supreme Court, Constitution Views|Jeff Shesol|April 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He had no precedents by which to guide his steps, no example that he might modernize and follow.
H. R.|Edwin Lefevre
We are more spontaneous than logical; we have ideas, rather than facts or precedents.
Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 2 (of 3)|Theodore Parker
On December 3, 1805, he sent a message to Congress which seemed to break completely with all Jeffersonian precedents.
Union and Democracy|Allen Johnson
This being his first love, he had no precedents to disillusion him or conjure up obstacles.
The Viking Blood|Frederick William Wallace
Oh why were we two made the first precedents of his new found revenge?
Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister|Aphra Behn

British Dictionary definitions for precedents

precedent

noun (ˈprɛsɪdənt)

law a judicial decision that serves as an authority for deciding a later case

an example or instance used to justify later similar occurrences

adjective (prɪˈsiːdənt, ˈprɛsɪdənt)

preceding

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for precedents

precedent

[ (press-uh-duhnt) ]

A previous ruling by a court that influences subsequent decisions in cases with similar issues.

Idioms and Phrases with precedents

precedent

see set a precedent.

precedent

noun

adjective pre·ce·dent [pri-seed-nt, pres-i-duh nt] /prɪˈsid nt, ˈprɛs ɪ dənt/

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THIS MIDDLE SCHOOL PART OF SPEECH QUIZ!

Origin of precedent

OTHER WORDS FROM precedent

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH precedent

Words nearby precedent

Words related to precedents

Example sentences from the Web for precedents

British Dictionary definitions for precedents

noun (ˈprɛsɪdənt)

adjective (prɪˈsiːdənt, ˈprɛsɪdənt)

Cultural definitions for precedents

Idioms and Phrases with precedents