preceding

American  

[pri-see-ding] / prɪˈsi dɪŋ /

adjective

1. that precedes; previous.

   Refer back to the footnote on the preceding page.

   Synonyms:

   former, prior, foregoing

   Antonyms:

   following, succeeding

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preceding British  

/ prɪˈsiːdɪŋ /

adjective

1. (prenominal) going or coming before; former

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Usage

What does preceding mean? Preceding means coming before. A close synonym is previous. As an adjective, preceding is always used before a noun, as in the preceding chapter. Preceding can also be used as the continuous tense (-ing form) of the verb precede, which means to come before. In most cases, the opposite of preceding is following, meaning coming after. For example, if you’re reading Chapter 7, the preceding chapter is Chapter 6, and the following chapter is Chapter 8. Example: The seventh book in the series features many of the same characters as the six preceding novels.

Etymology

Origin of preceding

First recorded in 1485–95; precede + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Bitcoin was up 2.9% over the preceding 24 hours to $69,269, according to CoinDesk.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

Central banks purchased over 1,000 metric tons of gold each year in 2022, 2023 and 2024 — roughly double the average over the preceding decade, according to the World Gold Council.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

There was much intra-Senate grousing and griping and bickering in the days preceding Friday morning’s vote.

From Slate • Mar. 28, 2026

Three times in the preceding two weeks, the Dow crossed the mark during the day but fell back by the close.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Take the second sentence in the preceding paragraph, in which I switched from herons to birds.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• introductory
• previous
• prior