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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.

Sophie said she was happy about this but said it wasn't enough time for her to heal before Nawshowani is released.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

Virgin Galactic shares closed at an all-time high of $1,188.20 on February 11, 2021, a few months before Branson got strapped in for the world’s first space tourism flight.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

At other times, he stopped midsong to complain about the lights before restarting.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Gilbert also told Stephanopoulos that before she married Busfield, she was aware he had been accused of sexual harassment twice by different women, once in 1994 and another time in 2012.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

I type it into my phone and proofread it three times before I hit send.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.