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• prior
  prior

  adjective

  preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous.
• Prior
  Prior

  noun

  Matthew, 1664–1721, English poet.

prior

¹ American  

[prahy-er] / ˈpraɪ ər /

adjective

1. preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous.

   A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.

   Synonyms:

   antecedent, anterior

2. preceding in importance or privilege.

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noun

1. Informal. a prior conviction.

idioms

1. prior to, preceding; before.

   Prior to that time, buffalo had roamed the Great Plains in tremendous numbers.

prior ² American  

[prahy-er] / ˈpraɪ ər /

noun

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

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

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Prior ³ American  

[prahy-er] / ˈpraɪ ər /

noun

1. Matthew, 1664–1721, English poet.

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prior ¹ British  

/ ˈpraɪə /

adjective

1. (prenominal) previous; preceding

2. before; until

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noun

1. statistics a prior probability

prior ² British  

/ ˈpraɪə /

noun

1. the superior of a house and community in certain religious orders

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

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

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Prior ³ British  

/ ˈpraɪə /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• priorship
  noun
• subpriorship
  noun
• priorly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of prior¹

First recorded in 1705–15; from Latin: “former, elder, superior” (adjective), “before” (adverb); akin to pre-, prime

Origin of prior²

First recorded before 1100; Middle English, late Old English, from Medieval Latin, Late Latin: “one superior in rank”; noun use of prior prior ¹

Explanation

Generally you should eat dinner prior to brushing your teeth. Use the adjective prior for things that exist earlier in time or that happen first in time or order. This is a formal word that is often used in legal language. A prior claim is a person's right to something that is considered more important or valuable because it came first. If you're looking for a less formal synonym, choose the word previous. Prior is from a Latin word with the same spelling.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prior Prior

The new orders index registered 59.8, compared with 60.9 in the prior month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

The U.S. economy added 29,000 jobs in September, which was far fewer than economists expected and well below the prior month’s total.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Syngenta said it had undertaken a "detailed review" of its Grangemouth operation prior to the plans being announced.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Some construction companies are open to hiring candidates with no prior industry experience, but not all.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

But the crucial modern inventions depend on prior scientific discoveries: in the case of the steam engine, Boyle’s law.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Prior to cutting classes and student services, he would want to look for savings in “administrative costs, consultants, outside contracts, open positions, and construction spending.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Prior to the Apollo discussions, Waldron talked with Carlyle when the private-capital firm was looking for its next CEO.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Prior to the surprise blockbuster horror hit, Navarrette’s supporting role in the series “Superman & Lois” was her most notable credit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Prior to the 2008-09 recession, ARMs also came with the risk of balloon payments after the fixed-rate period expired, which left homeowners exposed to payment shocks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

Prior to the trial, at which Andrews pleaded innocent by reason of insanity, the psychiatric staff of the Menninger Clinic conducted an exhaustive examination of the accused; this produced a diagnosis of “schizophrenia, simple type.”

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Related Words

• above-mentioned
• preceding
• previous