as in to precede
to go or come before in time gunpowder predated the invention of the gun by several centuries

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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 predate The roadless rule is not the same as official federal wilderness, and, despite its name, the areas may have roads that predate the 2001 rule. Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 25 June 2025 Moore says the change didn't happen overnight, explaining that for many young men, their feelings likely predated the election. Elena Moore, NPR, 13 June 2025 Much of its music has origins that predate Everyone’s Crushed, with some going back as far as 2021. Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2025 While the idea itself predates Greenleaf’s work, he is credited with popularizing the concept in modern business culture, shifting the focus from self-serving leadership models to people-first cultures. Julia Korn, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for predate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predate
precede
Verb
  • The problem was that in fighting markets in the way that foreign policy types fight democracy, strongmen, and in between, the U.S. foreign policy establishment robs countries of the essential cleansing and recovery that can only be preceded by allotment of failure.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Trump has been furious about news coverage that has deviated from his claims about the bombing mission, which preceded a ceasefire between Iran and Israel ending 12 days of hostilities.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Predate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predate. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

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