previous to

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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
  • Wolff himself had a winding career before becoming top brass for Mercedes’ F1 team.
    Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
  • But Braun was solid before tiring and working through injuries that affected him on the ball over the final month last season.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025
Preposition
  • In the event of cancellation, Sponsor reserves the right to award prizes from among all eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to the event requiring such cancellation.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Officials previously said Scott told family members prior to her disappearance that someone was harassing her via phone, though Toczylowski declined to comment on whether King was the individual.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
Preposition
  • The flip side to Marner’s exit is that the Leafs have cap flexibility and intend to take a swing with it.
    Pierre LeBrun, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • That later became the foundational precedent for centuries of papal claims to secular authority over the papal states of the Romagna.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025

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“Previous to.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/previous%20to. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

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