preceding

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.

Central banks purchased over 1,000 metric tons of gold each year in 2022, 2023 and 2024 — roughly double the average over the preceding decade, according to the World Gold Council.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026

There was much intra-Senate grousing and griping and bickering in the days preceding Friday morning’s vote.

From Slate • Mar. 28, 2026

In the 12-day war in June 2025, Iran fired roughly 550 ballistic missiles, more than it fired in the preceding two conflicts in 2024 combined.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

The company disclosed Monday that it had purchased nearly $1.3 billion worth of Bitcoin in the preceding week as the prices of cryptocurrencies broadly wavered.

From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026

Take the second sentence in the preceding paragraph, in which I switched from herons to birds.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker