go before

phrasal verb

went before; gone before; going before; goes before

: to happen or exist at an earlier time than (someone)

We owe a great debt of gratitude to those who went before us.

: to be considered by (someone or something) for an official decision or judgment

The contestants will go before the judges tomorrow.

The case went before the court.

Examples of go before in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The initiative, which has qualified for the ballot, will go before voters this November unless it is pulled by its proponent. —

Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 16 May 2024 The committee's recommendations will go before the city's full Common Council at its meeting on May 21, where approval would reinstate the businesses' licenses. —

Jordyn Noennig, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2024 The Correctional Healthcare Partners founder is a defendant in the Wilson case, which could go before a jury later this year. —

Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2024 There are some surprising revelations about where humans and apes fit into this world, and which has the right to what went before. —

Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 8 May 2024 Court records do not currently list when the case will go before a judge. —

Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 12 Apr. 2024 Similar to Brown, Newsom’s commutations go before the parole board before an inmate is released. —

Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024 When the project went before the city’s planning commissioners last month, it still wasn’t perceived favorably. —

Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024 How far can the state go before a serious outbreak hits? —

Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2024

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