before

1 of 3

adverb or adjective

be·​fore bi-ˈfȯr How to pronounce before (audio)
bē-
1
: in advance : ahead
marching on before
2
: at an earlier time
the night before
knew her before

before

2 of 3

preposition

1
a(1)
: forward of : in front of
stood before the fire
(2)
: in the presence of
speaking before the conference
b
: under the jurisdiction or consideration of
the case before the court
c(1)
: at the disposal of
the great sums placed before him
(2)
: in store for
got the whole summer before you
2
: preceding in time : earlier than
just before noon
3
: in a higher or more important position than
put quantity before quality

before

3 of 3

conjunction

1
a(1)
: earlier than the time that
call me before you go
(2)
: sooner or quicker than
I'll be done before you know it
(3)
: so that … do not
get out of there before you get dirty
b
: until the time that
miles to go before I sleepRobert Frost
c(1)
: or else … not
must be convicted before he can be removed from office
(2)
: or else
get out of here before I call a cop
2
: rather or sooner than
would starve before he'd steal

Examples of before in a Sentence

Preposition We arrived shortly before six o'clock. He left just before sunrise. I've never seen her so happy before now. Call me before your arrival. She arrived the day before yesterday. Why haven't you ever helped me before now? Your name is listed before mine. You'll see my house just before the bank and after the school. The Great Plains stretched endlessly before them. The championship fight took place before a crowd of thousands. Conjunction He left long before morning came. Say goodbye before you go. Call me before you arrive. I finished the exam before he did. It was not long before he arrived.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb or adjective
The two worked with Wilkinson before on a short film, The Everlasting Club, while McDonald had a supporting role in Layla, which premiered in Sundance last January. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 Italians arriving in America in the early 20th century could afford to use meat in their cooking in a way that wasn’t possible for them before. Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 They had been called to the computer many times before to look at suspicious objects that ultimately didn’t match the Electra’s dimensions. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Her voice sounds every bit as cool and matter-of-fact as before. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Rizzo has been candid about grieving Saget's death before. Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 The company has been backed by private equity before. Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 Trump starts pulling strings on Capitol Hill Trump wields significant influence over Republicans in Congress and has successfully derailed policy fights before. USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024 Here’s what to know about the highly contagious virus People who are infected can spread measles about four days before and four days after developing a rash that is a trademark of the virus, the CDC says. Jen Christensen, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
Preposition
An average of 500 trucks a day crossed into Gaza before the war; in five months of conflict, Israeli restrictions have kept the daily average well below the 200 that Israel had promised to facilitate. Yasmeen Abutaleb, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Since 2007, three of Monteagle’s older relatives have died while waiting for the restitution of the van Ostade, and there’s just one surviving family member who remembers seeing the painting before the war. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024 Dorf, who recalls seeing CSN at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in Wisconsin in 1982, says the tribute was in the works before Crosby’s passing. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 San Francisco has ongoing suits against Uber and Lyft and has settled cases with DoorDash and Instacart for more than $5 million each, but only for the period before the initiative. Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Adding a new weapon increases that cachet and puts more pressure on Israel after a cease-fire deal failed to take hold in Gaza before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Jon Gambrell, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Speaking before a standing-room-only crowd, Morgan Hill Mayor Mark Turner advocated for building the city into a tourism destination and launched community reading and health initiatives during his State of the City address. Luis Melecio-Zambrano, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 Related article More than 20 million children worldwide miss out on the measles vaccine each year Adults can be presumed to have immunity if they were born before 1957, according to the CDC. Katia Hetter, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 The three people received treatment on-site by paramedics before being transported to nearby hospitals, according to BCFD. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'before.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adverb or adjective

Middle English, adverb & preposition, from Old English beforan, from be- + foran before, from fore

Preposition

Middle English before, beforen, going back to Old English beforan — more at before entry 1

Conjunction

Middle English before, beforen, from before, beforen, before entry 2

First Known Use

Adverb Or Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Conjunction

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of before was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near before

Cite this Entry

“Before.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/before. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

before

1 of 3 adverb
be·​fore bi-ˈfō(ə)r How to pronounce before (audio)
-ˈfȯ(ə)r
1
: in advance : ahead
go on before
2
: at an earlier time
was here before

before

2 of 3 preposition
1
a
: forward of : in front of
stood before a mirror
b
: in the presence of
spoke before the legislature
2
: under the consideration of
the case before the court
3
: earlier than
got there before me
come before six

before

3 of 3 conjunction
1
: earlier than the time when
think before you speak
2
: more willingly than
I'd starve before I'd steal

Legal Definition

before

preposition
be·​fore
1
: in the presence of
then personally appeared before me
2
: to be judged or acted on by
a case before the court
a bill coming up before Congress

More from Merriam-Webster on before

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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