beforehand

adverb or adjective

be·​fore·​hand bi-ˈfȯr-ˌhand How to pronounce beforehand (audio)
bē-
1
a
: in anticipation
b
: in advance
2
: ahead of time : early

Examples of beforehand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Nothing is random The gang thoroughly scopes out homes beforehand. Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024 The festival will begin at 6 p.m., but a VIP reception an hour beforehand will offer tastings of La Herradura Tequila and a chance to meet all the artists while listening to live music by singer Dora Serrano. Nadia Cantú, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024 The result in China, for example, where there was little card infrastructure in place beforehand, was the rapid near-ubiquity of QR in the world’s biggest mobile payments market. David G.w. Birch, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Porter asked another Trump attorney, Adam Merrill, if Trump would need to be convicted of insurrection beforehand for his filing to be false. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 There is a lot of conversation that happens beforehand, with Cat, with our director. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 Don’t show up to the doctor without notifying the office beforehand to reduce the risk of exposing others. Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024 Doing such activities beforehand can shorten the life span of your lamination. Essence, 16 Feb. 2024 How to Talk to Your Babysitter About Extra Work For parents considering discussing additional tasks with their babysitters, the online resource Care.com recommends having a proactive conversation beforehand. Kristina Behr, Parents, 15 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of beforehand was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near beforehand

Cite this Entry

“Beforehand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beforehand. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

beforehand

adverb
be·​fore·​hand -ˌhand How to pronounce beforehand (audio)
: ahead of time : in advance

More from Merriam-Webster on beforehand

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