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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

Medway Magistrates' Court heard on Thursday the riders had been on a training outing prior to a "very long cycle ride" they were planning overseas.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

"Depending on how hot the Earth and Moon are prior to the collision, the impact can destroy Theia and produce this massive disk of debris that eventually forms the Moon," Denton said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Deal volume has gone from essentially negligible prior to 2020 to well over $100 billion…with GLP-1 and obesity among the hottest areas within that.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

City officials deemed nine oceanfront homes unsafe for inhabitants as of Wednesday night, “red-tagging” them — adding two from prior evaluations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

They have no prior notice that they are wanted or needed in the national military, but they arrive at their designated stations as requested.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Prior to joining Flare, she led AI strategy initiatives at Harvard Medical School.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Prior to buying the Westchester County abode, the fashion mogul had lived in a plush Greenwich Village townhouse.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

Prior to BDG, Emma served as the executive editor of Elle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Prior to Wednesday's announcement, the DNB held 31.3% of its gold in New York and 19.7% in Ottawa.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

“The first thing you should know is that the information Edith Prior gave you is only partly true.”

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

Related Words

• above-mentioned
• preceding
• previous