previous
adjective
pre·vi·ous
ˈprē-vē-əs 
1
: going before in time or order : prior
the previous owners
previous attempts had failed
reread the previous page
2
: acting too soon : premature
somewhat previous in his conclusion
previously
adverb
Physicists have constructed a pipette that dispenses a billionth of a trillionth of a liter, a droplet that's a thousand times as small as volumes previously achieved.
—
A. Cunningham
A. Cunningham
Previously, many mutations have been induced by harsh treatments such as X rays, UV light or chemicals.
—Kevin Struhl
Kevin Struhl
previousness
noun
Had I been capable of looking closer then, I might have asked myself why every kind of previousness miraculously survived there …
—Robyn Davidson
Robyn Davidson
Examples of previous in a Sentence
She has a child from a previous marriage.
The two characters met in a previous chapter.
the previous owners of the house
Recent Examples on the Web
The final matchup of the opening round of the WNBA playoffs had just as much action and excitement as the previous games earlier in the week, again pointing to the parity across the league.
—Allison Smith, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
In January, the bureau's previous director — Robert Santos, a nominee of former President Joe Biden — decided to cut short his five-year term.
—Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
The Russell 2000 on Thursday closed at a record high, topping its previous all-time peak set in 2021.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025
Union members first walked off the job on July 1 after their previous contract expired without a replacement.
—Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for previous
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Allison Smith, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
In January, the bureau's previous director — Robert Santos, a nominee of former President Joe Biden — decided to cut short his five-year term.
—Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
The Russell 2000 on Thursday closed at a record high, topping its previous all-time peak set in 2021.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025
Union members first walked off the job on July 1 after their previous contract expired without a replacement.
—Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for previous
Cite this Entry
“Previous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/previous. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
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previous
adjective
pre·vi·ous
ˈprē-vē-əs
previously
adverb
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