precede
verb (used with object)
to go before, as in place, order, rank, importance, or time.
were preceding
-
past progressiveof precede.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Freddie Zeigler, a meteorologist in the Weather Service's New Orleans office, said heavy winds were preceding the squall line, possibly contributing to power outages.
From New York Times ● Jan. 2, 2017
The party attacked had consisted of some men of consequence who were preceding the delegates to give assurance to the governor that the latter would soon be at hand.
From Count Frontenac Makers of Canada, Volume 3 by William Dawson LeSueur
They were now in Nassau Street near the improvised theater, and many other link boys, holding aloft their torches, were preceding their masters and mistresses.
From The Shadow of the North A Story of Old New York and a Lost Campaign by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler
The long black shadows of the horses and riders dashed over the ground before them, as if the cruel shadows of death were preceding the living against the proud cuirassiers.
From How Women Love (Soul Analysis) by Max Simon Nordau
"So much the better," said Athenais, "because I see the torches setting out from the chateau and the theater, and they seem as if they were preceding some person of distinction."
From Ten Years Later by Alexandre Dumas père
