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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It now expects adjusted earnings per share to be $8.89 to $9.01, raised from a prior range of $8.79 to $8.91.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Rippey, who had worked as Newsom’s appointments secretary, was married to Alex Tourk, the then-mayor’s close friend, campaign manager and prior deputy chief of staff, when the affair became public in 2007.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
PayPal’s prior guidance called for a “low-single-digit decline to slightly positive” performance.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
The staff acknowledged that patients who received and benefited from RP1 lived a median of 30.6 months without cancer progressing, versus 4.4 months on their prior immunotherapy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
I’m kind of fed up and exhausted with the last few days: with Farooq, with my friends, with Mr. Ram gone without any prior warning.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Prior to this, women had to book an appointment with their GP, sexual health clinic or pharmacy to get the morning-after pill.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
However, SAP cut its outlook for the year, citing a €100 million impact from the acquisition of data platforms Prior Labs and Dremio.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Prior to the development of a measles vaccine in the early 1960s, measles killed hundreds of children annually in the United States.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
“It’s day by day with him,” Prior said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Caleb Prior sits at a metal desk, bent over a book, his hair piled on one side of his head.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
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.
