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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So-called nontraditional companies, which include venture-backed startups and also small businesses and commercial tech companies, received over $122 billion in the prior fiscal year, double the amount from a decade prior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Starting in June 2025, with the pause having ended nine months prior, borrowers began defaulting again for the first time since the pandemic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
In my brother’s case, when you look inside the box, everything was dated prior to COVID.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
He had not been to a single match prior to the final, meaning all eyes were on his appearance at New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Twelve years prior, months after the 1992 indictment had been issued, Bill Clinton had been elected President of the United States.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Prior to the attack, the Pentagon had said 14 American servicemembers had died in the conflict with Iran due to hostile actions or accidents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Prior to the 2018 World Cup semi-final, England had not gone further than the tournament's quarter-finals since Italy 1990.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Prior to the school board’s June approval of the new labor contracts, the Duardo issued “express written warnings” that the “agreements were not affordable,” she recounted in her letter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Prior cases have set thresholds for industry concentration allowable under U.S. antitrust law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
“Someone,” William barreled on, “we believe Prior Michelangelo, sent men to Ville Sainte-Geneviève to desecrate the holy dog’s grave. This girl, Jeanne, had a vision it would happen.”
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
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.
