previous to

as in before
earlier than his passport arrived just previous to his trip

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 previous to The actor had lived in the home for some time previous to the renovation, and is seen walking through the bare-bones home sharing stories about each room before the gut job began. Claudia Williams, Architectural Digest, 12 Dec. 2024 In the four years previous to that Flamengo and Palmeiras dominated South American football winning two titles each. Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024 The other alleged incident happened previous to the plaintiff’s full-time employment with Ye’s operations, which started in 2021. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 13 Oct. 2024 Pulte lived in Florida previous to his nomination to lead the independent agency, but his family has roots in metro Detroit. Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 14 Jan. 2022 See All Example Sentences for previous to
Recent Examples of Synonyms for previous to
Preposition
  • Chichester City’s next match scheduled for this Saturday against Lewes has been postponed, while the Isthmian League said that, as a mark of respect, a minute’s silence will be observed before all other matches and all players will wear black armbands.
    Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Related Stories The dawn of the iPhone in 2007 was really Year One for mobile gaming, although titles did exist before then, O’Brien told Jennifer Maas, Variety‘s senior business writer for TV and gaming.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
Preposition
  • But with the Heat already at the preseason maximum of 21 players signed to contracts (including two-way contracts and Exhibit 10 deals) prior to adding Achiuwa, Miami will need to waive one of its developmental players to make room for him.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Cubs' manager Craig Counsell spoke to the media prior to Wednesday's game and revealed the current plans for Tucker's return to the lineup.
    Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Preposition
  • Xi promised that within a decade, China will expand wind and solar power capacity to more than six times its 2020 level.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Both capitals sit along the Skagerrak and Kattegat straits, home to busy shipping lanes which connect the North Sea to the Baltic Sea.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Previous to.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/previous%20to. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!