predate

American  

[pree-deyt] / ˈpriˈdeɪt /

verb (used with object)

predated, predating

1. to date before the actual time; antedate.

   He predated the check by three days.

2. to precede in date.

   a house that predates the Civil War.

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predate British  

/ priːˈdeɪt /

verb

1. to affix a date to (a document, paper, etc) that is earlier than the actual date

2. to assign a date to (an event, period, etc) that is earlier than the actual or previously assigned date of occurrence

3. to be or occur at an earlier date than; precede in time

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Etymology

Origin of predate

First recorded in 1860–65; pre- + date ¹

Example Sentences

"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

Then again, scroll through Carpenter’s many red carpet snapshots and Miss Piggy’s ever-expanding Instagram feed, and you may recognize the similarities predate the special by several years.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

Cook, for her part, says that contested allegations of mortgage-paperwork violations that predate her time at the Fed fall far short of the “cause” required by the statute.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

The monoliths that form the basis of the wall are similar to - but predate - the famous menhirs that dot the Brittany countryside and are associated with the Neolithic culture.

From BBC • Dec. 11, 2025

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

Related Words

• anticipate
• foreshadow
• outrank
• presage