as in previous
going before another in time or order
behavior that may be explained by a precedent event in her troubled life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of precedent
This adaptation demands re-conceiving large chunks of plot from the ground-up while retaining Liu’s themes, not to mention visualizing concepts with less precedent onscreen than the fantasy tropes Martin deployed and subverted.
—
Alison Herman, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024
Judge Barrett did not entirely embrace the notion of super-precedent.
—Jonathan Turley, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2020
Many legal scholars question the basis for declaring an ever-wider array of cases to be super-precedent as a way to protect favored rulings.
—Jonathan Turley, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2020
Britain has no clear privacy law, so precedent matters.
—The Economist, 3 Oct. 2019
See All Example Sentences for precedent
Alison Herman, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024
Judge Barrett did not entirely embrace the notion of super-precedent.
—Jonathan Turley, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2020
Many legal scholars question the basis for declaring an ever-wider array of cases to be super-precedent as a way to protect favored rulings.
—Jonathan Turley, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2020
Britain has no clear privacy law, so precedent matters.
—The Economist, 3 Oct. 2019
See All Example Sentences for precedent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precedent
previous
Adjective
-
About 44% reported being in poor mental health within the previous month.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
-
This year's Run for the Roses also drew in the highest ever average viewership with nearly 18 million viewers, which is up 6% from the previous year.—
Olivia Evans,
The Courier-Journal,
24 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Precedent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precedent. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share