prior

1 of 2

adjective

pri·​or ˈprī(-ə)r 

1

: earlier in time or order

2

: taking precedence (as in importance)

priorly adverb

prior

2 of 2

noun

plural priors

1

a

: the superior ranking next to the abbot of a monastery

b

: the superior of a house or group of houses of any of various religious communities

2

US law enforcement, informal : a previous instance of arrest or conviction for a crime

He had been told that burglary, like auto theft, rarely drew a state prison term, unless you had lots of priors.

—Joseph Wambaugh

Synonyms of prior

Adjective

• main
• highest
• primary
• greatest
• first
• predominant
• foremost
• dominant
• leading
• big

Choose the Right Synonym for prior

preceding, antecedent, foregoing, previous, prior, former, anterior mean being before.

preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place.

the preceding sentence

antecedent applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation.

conditions antecedent to the revolution

foregoing applies chiefly to statements.

the foregoing remarks

previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance.

a child from a previous marriage

a prior obligation

former implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter.

the former name of the company

anterior applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order.

the anterior lobe of the brain

Examples of prior in a Sentence

Adjective

Do you have a prior history of back problems?

The job requires prior experience in advertising.

The defendant had a prior record of convictions.

I'm sorry, but we have a prior commitment and can't come tonight.

We have a prior claim to the estate.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Revenue growth from Azure and other cloud services ticked down from the prior quarter to 39% year over year, (38% on a constant currency basis). —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026

On average, the 14 agencies lost roughly three times more of these experts in 2025 than in 2024, while the number of STEM PhDs hired at every agency was markedly lower in 2025 than in the prior year. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Noun

Capital One’s stock fell 7% on Friday after the prior’s day earnings call. —Jeff Kauflin, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Haki McClain, a 43-year-old Oakland man who goes by DJ Fetish and DJ King Fetish, was charged with 69 felonies, including grand theft, petty theft with two priors, burglary and evading police. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin, former, superior; akin to Latin priscus ancient, prae before — more at for

Noun

Middle English, from Old English & Anglo-French; both from Medieval Latin, from Late Latin, administrator, from Latin, former, superior

First Known Use

Adjective

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

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

Phrases Containing prior

• prior art
• prior restraint
• prior to
• without prior notice

Rhymes for prior

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar

Kids Definition

prior

1 of 2 noun

pri·​or ˈprī(-ə)r 

: a monk who is head of a priory

prior

2 of 2 adjective

1

: earlier in time or order : previous

better than in prior years

without prior warning

2

: being more important than something else : having priority

has a prior claim to our attention

Legal Definition

prior

adjective

pri·​or

ˈprī-ər

1

: earlier in time or order

2

: taking precedence (as in importance)

a prior lien

Biographical Definition

Prior

biographical name

ˈprī(-ə)r 

Matthew 1664–1721 English poet