before

1 of 3

adverb or adjective

be·​fore bi-ˈfȯr 

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

see also:

before the mast before the wind

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 sleep.

—Robert 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

Synonyms of before

Adverb or adjective

• earlier
• ahead
• already
• early

Preposition

• to
• until
• till
• of

Examples of before in a Sentence

Adverb or adjective

their arrival was completely expected because a messenger had gone before

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

Art—in the broadest sense—has been enlisted to this aim in the region at least once before, namely in the construction of hundreds of new churches during the spiritual low point of the immediate postwar period. — Kristian Vistrup Madsen, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Florida has had rocky vote-counting experiences before, but local elections supervisors have learned from those decades-old mistakes. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026

Preposition

Simpson, 60, is a former state Senate president who served in the upper chamber for 10 years before winning the agriculture commissioner position in 2022. — Liv Caputo, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026

It will now be moved into temporary storage before heading to ITER’s Assembly Hall for integration into the plasma chamber’s final sector module. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026

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)

Phrases Containing before

• (and) not before time (too)
• been/gone down this/that road before
• before bed
• before long
• before one can blink
• before one knows it
• before one's time
• before someone's eyes
• before the hour
• before the mast
• before the wind
• bring before
• carry all/everything before (one)
• cast/throw pearls before swine
• count one's chickens (before they hatch)
• count one's chickens before they're hatched
• die before one's time
• go before
• look before one leaps
• old before one's time
• put before
• put the cart before the horse
• the calm/lull before the storm
• the day before yesterday
• walk before one can run
• walk before one runs

Rhymes for before

• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• backdoor
• bookstore
• candour
• centaur
• claymore
• decor

Kids Definition

before

1 of 3 adverb

be·​fore bi-ˈfō(ə)r 

-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