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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

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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

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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

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Newcastle's Tino Livramento, who both pulled out the last squad prior to any matches being played, also miss out with respective hip and knee injuries.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

However, Goldman sees gold prices picking up in 2027, with the bank expecting prices to reach $4,800 an ounce next year, still down from its prior projection of $5,400.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Neil Biondich, center, backstage prior to the show with the cast getting ready for “The Dark Wedding.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Speaking at Friday's news conference, Jesus said that Ronaldo did not give him prior notice of his decision and he was set to select the in-form Al-Nassr forward.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Augustus remembered, “Every room, upstairs and down, was full; people were sitting on the very stairs …” The sisters were much too busy to see visiting guests without a prior reservation.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Prior owner Andrew Meieran recently sold the building to real estate investment firm Robhana Group.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Prior authorization means that a patient must get approval before an insurer will pay for a medical service or drug.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Prior to the policy changes, Garcia leaned left but followed politics only from a distance.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Prior to this discovery, the world’s oldest shipwreck was a wreck off the coast of Dokos, in Greece, thought to have been from about 4,200 years ago.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026

“Seven generations back, yes. An aunt. Her brother is the one who carried on the Prior name.”

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

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Related Words

• above-mentioned
• preceding
• previous

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