preceding
Americanadjective
adjective
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
Explanation
Something is preceding if it comes directly before. The preceding sentence is not so much a definition of the word preceding as a description of it. To cede is to give way, so when you use preceding to describe, say, a person, you’re essentially describing him as the one that just gave way. Previous is a good synonyms. If you are in 11th grade now, you were in 10th grade in the preceding year. And a persistent person will keep asking for something even if "no" has been the answer the 10 preceding times he or she has asked.
Vocabulary lists containing preceding
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
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Novel Study: The Scarlet Letter, Chapters 16–24
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Little Rock Girl 1957
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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.
An International Trade Commission study in 2019 found that Chinese production of automotive parts had grown significantly over the preceding decade, with U.S. imports concentrated in smaller components such as brake rotors.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
In the preceding years, more than 1,000 babies a year were dying unexpectedly in England and Wales, with no discernible cause found.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
The preceding girls game was not nearly as dramatic.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Adding wartime decline to the preceding “SaaSpocalypse,” the shares have sunk 30% this year.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
One night after work, I watched Koslowe describe, on television, the minute-by-minute procedure preceding execution, heard how he told inmates he’d “be there” for them—“on a rubber mat, but I’ll be there.”
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
