prior

[ prahy-er ]

/ ˈpraɪ ər /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prior ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous: A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.

preceding in importance or privilege.

noun

Informal. a prior conviction.

Nearby words

printout paper, printwheel, printworks, prinzmetal's angina, prion, prior, prior lien, prior probability, prior restraint, prior, matthew, priorate

Idioms

prior to, preceding; before: Prior to that time, buffalo had roamed the Great Plains in tremendous numbers.

Origin of prior

1705–15; < Latin: former, elder, superior (adj.), before (adv.); akin to prime, pre-

SYNONYMS FOR prior

1 anterior, antecedent.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prior ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formspri·or·ly, adverb

Definition for prior (2 of 3)

prior

[ prahy-er ]

/ ˈpraɪ ər /

noun

an officer in a monastic order or religious house, sometimes next in rank below an abbot.

a chief magistrate, as in the medieval republic of Florence.

Origin of prior

before 1100; Middle English, late Old English < Medieval Latin, Late Latin: one superior in rank; noun use of prior prior¹

Related formspri·or·ship, nounsub·pri·or·ship, noun

Definition for prior (3 of 3)

Prior

[ prahy-er ]

/ ˈpraɪ ər /

noun

Matthew,1664–1721, English poet.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for prior

He was one of few outspoken activists in Syria prior to the uprising that took a place in March of 2011.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In fact, he was in contact with Lansky prior to converging from the hillside onto the streets of Havana.
Will Hyman Roth Return to Havana With Normalized Relations?|John L. Smith|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“In the months prior to that, when we started taking prisoners [in Afghanistan], we were improvising,” he said.
CIA Interrogation Chief: ‘Rectal Feeding,’ Broken Limbs Are News to Me|Kimberly Dozier|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And prior to that day, it shocked me a lot, it shocked me a lot.
90 Seconds of Fury in Ferguson Are the Key to Making Peace in America|Michael Daly|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The cop was not named, but was identified as an African-American veteran of the division with no prior infractions.
The 14 Teens Killed by Cops Since Michael Brown|Nina Strochlic|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Prior to the development of a quittor there is always swelling at the coronet, accompanied with heat and pain.
Special Report on Diseases of the Horse|United States Department of Agriculture
Do you know whether or not those officers made a report about what they knew about the killing of Oswald prior to February 18?
Warren Commission (4 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
We note, too, that Peter of Blockesley gave possessions to the prior and convent of Coventry in trust for the school.
Education in England in the Middle Ages|Albert William Parry
The French, prior to the Revolution, were passionately fond of the drama, which was then entirely founded on the Greek model.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 370, August 1846|Various
Dino flashed one look of appeal into the Prior's face, and then sank on his knees.
Under False Pretences|Adeline Sergeant

British Dictionary definitions for prior (1 of 3)

prior

/ (ˈpraɪə) /

adjective

(prenominal) previous; preceding

prior to before; until

noun

statistics a prior probability

Word Origin for prior

C18: from Latin: previous

British Dictionary definitions for prior (2 of 3)

prior

/ (ˈpraɪə) /

noun

the superior of a house and community in certain religious orders

the deputy head of a monastery or abbey, ranking immediately below the abbot

(formerly) a chief magistrate in medieval Florence and other Italian republics

Word Origin for prior

C11: from Late Latin: head, from Latin (adj): previous, from Old Latin pri before

British Dictionary definitions for prior (3 of 3)

Prior

/ (ˈpraɪə) /

noun

Matthew. 1664–1721, English poet and diplomat, noted for his epigrammatic occasional verse

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

Word Origin and History for prior (1 of 2)

prior

adj.

"earlier," 1714, from Latin prior "former, previous, first;" figuratively "superior, better;" as a noun "forefather; superior rank;" comparative of Old Latin pri "before," from PIE *prai-, *prei-, from root *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per).

Word Origin and History for prior (1 of 2)

prior

"superior officer of a religious house or order," late Old English, from Medieval Latin prior "superior officer," noun use of Latin adjective meaning "former, superior" (see prior (adj.)). As short for prior arrest, by 1990, American English.

prior

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of prior

Definition for prior (2 of 3)

prior

noun

Origin of prior

Definition for prior (3 of 3)

Prior

noun

Examples from the Web for prior

British Dictionary definitions for prior (1 of 3)

prior

adjective

noun

Word Origin for prior

British Dictionary definitions for prior (2 of 3)

prior

noun

Word Origin for prior

British Dictionary definitions for prior (3 of 3)

Prior

noun

Word Origin and History for prior (1 of 2)

prior

Word Origin and History for prior (1 of 2)

prior