verb
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to affix a date to (a document, paper, etc) that is earlier than the actual date
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to assign a date to (an event, period, etc) that is earlier than the actual or previously assigned date of occurrence
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to be or occur at an earlier date than; precede in time
Etymology
Origin of predate
Explanation
To predate is to happen or exist before something else. If you move into a house that already has a ghost, the ghost predates you. Boo! If your interest in soul music predates your sister's, you loved it first. When you use predate this way, you can read it as a combination of pre-, "before," and date, "point in time." Another meaning of this verb is "to prey on for food," so you could say that your cat predates the mice that live in your kitchen. This definition stems from predator, from the Latin praedator, "plunderer."
Vocabulary lists containing predate
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.
"The diplomatic relationship between USA and South Africa predate the Trump administration and they will outlive the current White House term of office."
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
According to the authors, candidates like Katie Porter and Antonio Villaraigosa have recognized that California’s homelessness and affordability crises predate Trump and require sustained, substantive policy solutions rather than rhetoric alone.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2026
But they may feel that “Starfleet Academy” has more in common with “Harry Potter” and the rest of the kids-at-boarding-school stories, a canon that would seem to predate the Big Bang.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026
American efforts to obtain Greenland also predate the Trump era.
From BBC • Jan. 5, 2026
It is not impossible to imagine priority disputes without the printing press, but in fact there are no priority disputes that we know of which predate printing.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
