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Showing results for before.
Definitions

before

[bih-fawr, -fohr] / bɪˈfɔr, -ˈfoʊr /
ADVERB
earlier
Synonyms
STRONGEST
ahead back previously since sooner
WEAK
afore aforetime ante antecedently anteriorly before present ere fore former formerly forward heretofore in advance in days of yore in front in the old days in the past past precendently previous up to now
Antonyms
WEAK
after afterward behind later
PREPOSITION
earlier than
Synonyms
STRONGEST
since
WEAK
ahead of ante antecedent to anterior to ere in advance of in front of preceding previous to prior to
Antonyms
WEAK
after afterward behind later

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“When you’re friends and you have allies, especially if they’re strategic, you also have to have the courage to say when you disagree,” she said at a wine fair in Verona before Trump’s comments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

The Real Estate Board of New York, the city’s largest industry trade group, was given a few hours’ notice by the governor’s office before a flurry of media reports were unleashed about the proposal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

I’ve been here before, but I am truly excited.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Across the country, the government wants more children to have ticked off the skills they need to be fully ready to start school before September.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

This year she brought me along, so I could get to know the town before I start at the Mount, the Native boarding school for kids from villages too small to have a high school.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith