predate
verb (used with object)
to date before the actual time; antedate.
predating
-
present participleof predate.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
But there is also a shift predating the AI boom that has quietly persisted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
The play, which takes place in the period predating smartphones, offers a microcosm of American life, not unlike the Grover’s Corners of Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” before our brains were all rewired.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
It lost $2 billion in 2001, with the vast majority of its problems predating the Sept. 11 attacks.
From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025
Survey response rates have dramatically declined External link in recent years, predating the Covid-19 pandemic.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025
In Portugal, a survey was made of 400 skeletons from the period immediately predating the Agricultural Revolution.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
