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

• priorly adverb
• priorship noun
• subpriorship noun

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

Example Sentences

Last year the number of Americans on Social Security increased by two million, about double the average increase over the prior decade.

From The Wall Street Journal

The BLS every January provides a more accurate estimate of how many jobs were created in the prior year, using company tax records to get close to the truth.

From MarketWatch

The adventures into fashion can relax players in the locker room prior to games, as athletes rib one another for their more brash selections.

From Barron's

The Dodgers added him to their roster in September 2020, as it approached a National League Wild Card Series against Milwaukee, although he had appeared in just two prior major-league games that year.

From Los Angeles Times

"I used to think it was a way to calm myself prior to a show or to chase loneliness," he told Charleston.com in 2023.

From BBC

Related Words

• above-mentioned
• preceding
• previous