preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous.
A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.
preceding in importance or privilege.
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.
(prenominal) previous; preceding
before; until
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
First recorded in 1705–15; from Latin: “former, elder, superior” (adjective), “before” (adverb); akin to pre-, prime
First recorded before 1100; Middle English, late Old English, from Medieval Latin, Late Latin: “one superior in rank”; noun use of prior prior 1
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.
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They were each charged with unlawful taking of a vehicle and second-degree burglary — both counts enhanced with allegations that they have prior criminal records and the crimes required sophistication and professionalism to carry out.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026
The overall trade gap surged from the month prior by 42.2 percent to $77.6 billion, according to data from the Commerce Department.
From Barron's • Jul. 7, 2026
He acknowledged being at LaGuardia Airport approximately an hour prior to the bombing, having returned to New York from Cleveland.
From Slate • Jul. 7, 2026
One near-term play they like is beaten-down hyperscalers, whose prior underperformance they expect was probably telling for the chip pullback to come.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 6, 2026
These books supposedly contained details on people who regularly attended séances—living and dead relatives, important dates, work histories, the questions asked, and answers given at prior sessions.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
