predate

[ pree-deyt ]
/ ˈpriˈdeɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR predate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), pre·dat·ed, pre·dat·ing.

to date before the actual time; antedate: He predated the check by three days.
to precede in date: a house that predates the Civil War.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of predate

First recorded in 1860–65; pre- + date1

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH predate

antedate predate postdate

Words nearby predate

precursory cartilage, precut, precycle, pred., predacious, predate, predation, predation pressure, predatism, predator, predatory
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to predate

foreshadow, anticipate, presage, outrank, head, harbinger, lead, pioneer, preface, introduce, pace, scout, usher, rank, time, antedate, herald, guide, antecede, preexist

Example sentences from the Web for predate

British Dictionary definitions for predate

predate
/ (priːˈdeɪt) /

verb (tr)

to affix a date to (a document, paper, etc) that is earlier than the actual date
to assign a date to (an event, period, etc) that is earlier than the actual or previously assigned date of occurrence
to be or occur at an earlier date than; precede in time
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