before

adverb or adjective

be·fore | \ bi-ˈfȯr

, bē-\

Definition of before

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : in advance : ahead marching on before

2 : at an earlier time the night before knew her before

before

preposition

Definition of before (Entry 2 of 3)

1a(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

conjunction

Definition of before (Entry 3 of 3)

1a(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 & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about before

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Synonyms & Antonyms for before

Synonyms: Adverb or adjective

afore [chiefly dialect], ahead, already, antecedently, anteriorly, beforehand, earlier, formerly, preliminarily, previously

Synonyms: Preposition

afore [chiefly dialect], ahead of, ere, fore (also 'fore) [chiefly dialect], of, previous to, prior to, to

Antonyms: Adverb or adjective

after, afterward (or afterwards), later

Antonyms: Preposition

after, following

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 Suez Canal had opened only a few years before, Orientalism was in full flower, and Newport was the ultimate oasis. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, "Silver Sailing Cups Recall Gilded Age Glamour and Sexuality," 29 June 2019 Miles guided Oklahoma State to back-to-back wins over Oklahoma in 2001 and 2002, which had only been done four times before. — Amie Just, nola.com, "The Les Miles Show brings signs of life, hope to Kansas football program," 28 June 2019 Protests followed over several more days and led to new, more extensive and militant LGBTQ activist groups than the U.S. had seen before. — CBS News, "Stonewall Inn's march from illicit dive to national monument," 27 June 2019 As that movie was never made, much of the tape has never been seen before. — L.n., The Economist, "“Diego Maradona” is Asif Kapadia’s best documentary to date," 27 June 2019 Sandy had competed on the show twice before, in Los Angeles during seasons 8 and 9. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "American Ninja Warrior’s Sandy Zimmerman Is the First Mom Ever to Complete the Course," 25 June 2019 Among them will be pieces from his personal collection, some of which have never been seen before. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "A Huge Christian Louboutin Exhibition Is Opening in Paris Next Year," 24 June 2019 Written by the Crossover staff Nearly a quarter century ago, the mischievous developers at Midway created NBA Jam, marrying video games and sports in a way never seen before. — SI.com, "Sports Illustrated's Where Are They Now? Stories," 23 June 2019 The rapid pace of environmental change, however, is testing the sensory resilience of fish as never before. — Elizabeth Preston, Science | AAAS, "A growing sensory smog threatens the ability of fish to communicate, navigate, and survive," 20 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition

Levy believes it’s only a matter of time before others — including many former cannabis executives — realize the potential of psychedelics and start to look for investors. — Bloomberg, The Mercury News, "First pot, then magic mushrooms? Decriminalization is spreading," 18 June 2019 Texas Tech took a 5-3 loss to Michigan before an exciting 5-4 win over Arkansas on Tuesday. — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Former Wisconsin prep products and Brewers draft picks are plentiful at the College World Series," 18 June 2019 Photo: Eun-Young Jeong/The Wall Street Journal Tents must be removed by 7 p.m.—two hours earlier than before and an hour before sunset in early summer—and the campers are confined to certain areas in the parks. — Eun-young Jeong, WSJ, "Newest Camping Adventure: During the Day and in the City," 18 June 2019 The Padres have 17 games remaining before the break. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Padres notes: Mejia back, has chance to play more; the new Perdomo; Castillo update," 18 June 2019 Stewart appeared before the committee on Tuesday to ask Congress to extend the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, which covers healthcare for survivors and first responders. — Rachel Yang, EW.com, "Jon Stewart reunites with Stephen Colbert to call out Mitch McConnell on 9/11 bill," 18 June 2019 The video shows the child walk to another aisle before coming back with a large box containing the doll. — Bree Burkitt, azcentral, "Phoenix police release footage of family in dollar store preceding incident seen in viral video," 18 June 2019 Others seem a little shocked that At Home is putting out the decor fourth months before Halloween. — Sarah Horne, Cincinnati.com, "Halloween in June? At Home is rolling out the decorations and people have thoughts," 18 June 2019 The model previously dated indie rocker St. Vincent before the pair split in 2016. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "Cara Delevingne Confirms Relationship with Ashley Benson as the Pair Mark Their 1-Year Anniversary," 18 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'before.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.