have/take precedence over

idiom

somewhat formal
: to be more important (than something else)
When it comes to making health care decisions, the patient's preference should take precedence.
often + over
The safety of the children has/takes precedence over everything else.

Examples of have/take precedence over in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hereditary laws may also take precedence over other arrangements if your country of residence has such laws. Tom Zachystal, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 To answer your question, internal applicants may indeed take precedence over external candidates based on an employer's recruitment strategy and specific hiring considerations. Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 Similarly, if Justin Thomas is among the top five in the swing series, that would take precedence over him being exempt from being in the top 30 in the world. Doug Ferguson, USA TODAY, 16 Jan. 2024 Runaway Railway follows a school of theme park design where vignettes take precedence over a definitive plot. Todd Martensgame Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2023 The constitution dictates that princes take precedence over princesses in the line of succession to the Golden Throne of Bhutan. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 11 Dec. 2023 The Israeli agents understood that Iranian sanctions would take precedence over Hamas but were frustrated by the delays. Justin Scheck, New York Times, 16 Dec. 2023 But perhaps Jewels’ real gem is the owner’s mandate for around-the-clock comfort and convenience that sees all 18 guests’ needs take precedence over even the ostentatious design. Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 15 Dec. 2023 The final scene of the film and the series remain almost the same, with Lady Ashley realizing her love for Nullah can’t take precedence over his chance to live with his people, specifically his elder King George (the late David Gulpilil). Hunter Ingram, Variety, 26 Nov. 2023

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

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Cite this Entry

“Have/take precedence over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/have%2Ftake%20precedence%20over. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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