Usage of Prior to
Although prior to is occasionally criticized as a pretentious way of saying before, it is well-established in formal contexts, such as the annual reports of corporations. In some of these contexts, it serves to emphasize the procedural nature of something.
page makeup decisions are verified and approved prior to typesetting
—
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Examples of prior to in a Sentence
make sure all revisions are approved by the author prior to publication
Recent Examples on the Web
Down to their last two outs, the Loganville baseball team could only recall the message that senior Jake Boland had delivered to the team in the tunnel prior to restarting the Class 5A championship game after a three-hour rain delay.
—Stan Awtrey, AJC.com, 27 May 2026
Controversy has once again reached the Venice Biennale, this time at the Kazakhstan pavilion, where artist Äsel Kadyrhanova’s presentation was reportedly dismantled prior to the exhibition’s opening.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 May 2026
The turf that Moeller witnessed being torn up and hauled away was installed prior to the 2024 season and had a backfill of coconut husks and cork.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The Titans selected then-Kentucky quarterback in the draft just one year prior to the hack.
—Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for prior to
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Stan Awtrey, AJC.com, 27 May 2026
Controversy has once again reached the Venice Biennale, this time at the Kazakhstan pavilion, where artist Äsel Kadyrhanova’s presentation was reportedly dismantled prior to the exhibition’s opening.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 May 2026
The turf that Moeller witnessed being torn up and hauled away was installed prior to the 2024 season and had a backfill of coconut husks and cork.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The Titans selected then-Kentucky quarterback in the draft just one year prior to the hack.
—Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for prior to
Cite this Entry
“Prior to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prior%20to. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
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