Before

Word BEFORE
Character 6
Hyphenation be fore
Pronunciations /bɪˈfɔː/

Definitions and meanings of "Before"

What do we mean by before?

Earlier in time. adverb

In front; ahead. adverb

Previous to in time; earlier than. preposition

In front of. preposition

In store for; awaiting. preposition

Into or in the presence of. preposition

Under the consideration or jurisdiction of. preposition

In a position superior to. preposition

In advance of the time when. conjunction

Rather than; sooner than. conjunction

In front; on the anterior or fore side; on the side opposite the back; in a position or at a point in advance; ahead.

In time preceding; previously; formerly; already.

In front of, in time or position; on the anterior or fore side of; in a position or at a point in advance of: as, a happy future lies before you; before the house; before the fire.

In presence of; in sight of; under the cognizance, jurisdiction, or consideration of.

In precedence of; in advance of, as regards rank, condition, development, etc.

In preference to; rather than.

Anterior to in time; previous to: as, I shall return before six o'clock.

Under the action, influence, or power of.

Figuratively and colloquially, in prosperous circumstances; out of debt or difficulty.

Previous to the time when: formerly sometimes followed by that.

At an earlier time.

In advance.

At the front end.

Synonyms and Antonyms for Before

The word "before" in example sentences

What this bill does do, in my opinion, is to cover a looming problem of insurance premiums spiking as the boomers age (ie. attempting to get a handle on a financial crisis *before* it takes down a great number of decent people) and a populist desire to insure and care for a majority of people (this comes before you start pus polling and scaring seniors with lies about Medicare coverage). ❋ Unknown (2010)

I started her treatment a month back , I also continue with my insulin, she gave me a greenish herbal powder , that has to sorted into daily dosages twice before meals, along with a tablet Triglucord Forte ..before I visited her I took my blood sugar levels .. ❋ Photographerno1 (2009)

_Scene as before, Time and situation as before, Company as before_. ❋ Various (N/A)

But before any one settles down into a conclusion that this passage warrants the use of wine and ardent spirits, in our age and country, let him consider that there may have been, as there doubtless were, peculiar reasons, under the Levitical dispensation, for permitting the Jews to partake of what their soul desired _before the Lord_, which would not apply to mankind generally; as was the case in respect to several other things. ❋ American Tract Society (N/A)

The president answered the modest doctor with as much politeness as presence of mind: he put the figure 1 before the number 100, and wrote (1100) "_They are ten times what they were before_." ❋ Various (N/A)

Jordan, he instructed them how the ark of the covenant was to go before them and a space to be left between them and it, so that they might know the way by which they must go, _for they had not passed this way before_. ❋ Various (N/A)

(A.D. 494) appointed the confession of faith to be made immediately before baptism, _though the renunciations were made some hours before_. ❋ Charles Michael Baggs (N/A)

My memory does not serve me so as to enable me to state, whether the Acdazeer's visit to Java was before or after the promulgation of the law prohibiting ships with opium and warlike stores entering any of the ports of Netherlands India; but I think it was _before_ that regulation was made public. ❋ G. F. Davidson (N/A)

The case was tried before a Justice of the Peace, named Basnett, who was satisfied that Mitchum was Davis's slave, and had left his service _nineteen years before_. ❋ American Anti-Slavery Society (N/A)

FELLOW-CITIZENS of the United States: In compliance with a custom as old as the Government itself, I appear before you to address you briefly, and to take in your presence the oath prescribed by the Constitution of the United States to be taken by the President “before he enters on the execution of his office. ❋ Unknown (1909)

It was their customary habit to attend to the craft every night before lying down, because they realized the great value that lay in the only means of making progress that the expedition possessed; while no one dreamed of robbery, still, the motto of a scout is to shut the door _before_ the horse is stolen, and not afterwards. ❋ Unknown (1909)

_ [146] It is not before men who cannot see the heart, but _before Thee is all my desire_! ❋ Aquinas Thomas (1907)

IN1 compliance with a custom as old as the government itself, I appear before you to address you briefly, and to take in your presence the oath prescribed by the Constitution of the United States to be taken by the president “before he enters on the execution of his office. ❋ Unknown (1906)

The composer lost no time in laying his score before Beethoven, who said he should have visited him _before_, not _after_ the performance. ❋ Harriette Brower (1898)

Many are righteous before men; but they were righteous _before God_. ❋ Unknown (1888)

Of less interest, comparatively, is that sight of the mind _before_ -- before the demonstration of the fact, that is, and while still muffled in theories and presumptions (purple and fine linen, and as such highly becoming though these be) of what shall prove best for it. ❋ Henry James (1879)

It must have been the unutterable pain of the dis-illusioned bridegroom, the gnawing sense of his irretrievable mistake, The vision must then pass before our minds of scenes in the Aldersgate Street house, the reverse of the happily connubial, _before_ that sudden departure of the bride back to her father's home, and leading to that incident perhaps rather violently. ❋ David Masson (1864)

There is proof, however (and I do not think it has been observed before), that Milton's first Divorce Tract was already published and in circulation two months _before_ the Michaelmas in question. ❋ David Masson (1864)

There is, however, one beautiful experimental proof of a state of tension acquired by the metals and the electrolyte before the electric current is produced, and _before contact_ of the different metals is made ❋ Michael Faraday (1829)

_Or_ signifies _before_, and _or ever_ is _before ever_; the meaning in the folio may therefore be, _Sure her crime must be monstrous_ before _your affection can be affected with hatred_. ❋ Samuel Johnson (1746)

Cross Reference for Before

What does before mean?

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