before
adverb
[ bɪˈfɔː ]
• during the period of time preceding a particular event or time.
• "my playing days had ended six years before"
Similar:
prior to,
previous to,
earlier than,
preparatory to,
in preparation for,
preliminary to,
in anticipation of,
in expectation of,
in advance of,
ahead of,
leading up to,
on the eve of,
anterior to,
previously,
before now,
before then,
until now,
until then,
up to now,
up to then,
earlier,
formerly,
hitherto,
in the past,
in days gone by,
heretofore,
• in front of someone or something.
• "they began trotting through the city with guards running before and behind"
Similar:
ahead,
in front,
in advance,
in the lead,
before
conjunction
• in advance of the time when.
• "they lived rough for four days before they were arrested"
• in preference to (doing a particular thing).
• "they would die before they would cooperate with each other"
before
preposition
• during the period of time preceding (a particular event or time).
• "she had to rest before dinner"
• in front of.
• "Matilda stood before her, panting"
Similar:
in front of,
in the presence of,
in the sight of,
before the very eyes of,
under the nose of,
• in preference to; rather than.
• "a skilled warrior who places duty before all else"
Similar:
in preference to,
rather than,
sooner than,
above,
over,
instead of,
Origin:
Old English beforan (see by, fore), of Germanic origin; related to German bevor .
