predecease

[ pree-di-sees ]

/ ˌpri dɪˈsis /

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verb (used with object), pre·de·ceased, pre·de·ceas·ing.

to die before (another person, the occurrence of an event, etc.).

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of predecease

First recorded in 1585–95; pre- + decease

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use predecease in a sentence

Bridges was predeceased by two of her children, including a son who was fatally shot.
Lucille Bridges, who stood by daughter Ruby through school desegregation, dies at 86|Emily Langer|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
He was a widower whose only son had already predeceased him.
New Orleans’ Carnivalesque Day of the Dead|Jason Berry|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The six children of the Reverend Patrick Brontë, all of whom predeceased him, two of them writers of genius.
Robert Gottlieb’s Book Bag: Five Great Literary Subjects|Robert Gottlieb|November 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Almost all his old friends predeceased him, and he found himself thrown entirely on the society of his own family.
The Book-Hunter|John Hill Burton

In 1593 he married the wealthy Sophia Mielecka, by whom he had one son who predeceased him.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 3|Various
Humphrey Noye had two sons, but both predeceased him and died without issue.
Cornish Characters|S. Baring-Gould
Of a family of three sons and three daughters, the eldest son predeceased him; two sons and two daughters still survive.
The Modern Scottish Minstrel , Volume I.|Various
David's eldest son, the gallant Prince Henry, who had led the wild charge at Northallerton, predeceased his father in 1152.
An Outline of the Relations between England and Scotland (500-1707)|Robert S. Rait

British Dictionary definitions for predecease

predecease

/ (ˌpriːdɪˈsiːs) /

verb

to die before (some other person)

noun

rare earlier death

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