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 + overThe safety of the children has/takes precedence over everything else.
Examples of have/take precedence over in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Typically, a county court decision would not take precedence over any ruling from the Arizona Supreme Court, the state's top court.
—
Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
The letter called the ordinance redundant and unnecessary because federal regulators are considering regulations that, if passed, would take precedence over the city's ordinance.
—The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
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
Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024
The letter called the ordinance redundant and unnecessary because federal regulators are considering regulations that, if passed, would take precedence over the city's ordinance.
—The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
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
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.
Cite this Entry
“Have/take precedence over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/have%2Ftake%20precedence%20over. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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