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Synonyms

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
preceding British  
/ prɪˈsiːdɪŋ /

adjective

  1. (prenominal) going or coming before; former

"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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

On Thursday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said five Chinese aircraft had been spotted in the preceding 24 hours around the island, in addition to six vessels from China’s navy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

"But if the strait was mined, this would require minehunters preceding convoys, or establishing safe corridors before commercial vessels could transit," they said.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

We all knew each other in a way, from the passing of messages over the preceding months; yet except for Jenner and me, none of us had ever really met.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

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.