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

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

Some of Saks' woes, Cohen said, predate its acquisition of rival Neiman Marcus, which had previously filed for bankruptcy.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

“The violations they described all predate the December agreement,” said Catherine E. Lhamon, who oversaw the Office of Civil Rights at the Education Department under the Obama and Biden administrations.

From Salon • Dec. 13, 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