before
/bɪˈfɔː/
Dictionary
adverb
- At an earlier time.
"I've never done this before."
- In advance.
- At the front end.
preposition
- Earlier than (in time).
"I want this done before Monday."
- In front of in space.
"He stood before me."
- In the presence of.
"He performed before the troops in North Africa."
- Under consideration, judgment, authority of (someone).
"The case laid before the panel aroused nothing but ridicule."
- In store for, in the future of (someone).
- In front of, according to a formal system of ordering items.
"In alphabetical order, "cat" comes before "dog", "canine" before feline"."
- At a higher or greater position than, in a ranking.
"An entrepreneur puts market share and profit before quality, an amateur intrinsic qualities before economical considerations."
conjunction
- In advance of the time when.
- Rather or sooner than.
"I'll die before I'll tell you anything about it."
Synonyms:lest
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