before 1 of 2

1
as in to
earlier than since I'm a faster runner, I got there before him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in against
preceding in space the children always insisted on running before their parents

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

before

2 of 2

adverb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of before
Preposition
Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. Jeff Marks, CNBC, 5 June 2025 After Harris lost to Trump, many Democrats demanded to know how much those close to Biden knew about his health decline before the debate. Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025 Reed Garrett struggled with command and gave up an RBI double to Will Smith before getting an out. Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 5 June 2025 Lopez was asked to testify before the grand jury but declined to do so. Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for before
Recent Examples of Synonyms for before
Preposition
  • One fearless couple puts it to the test By Anonymous Read On Now Trending Sounds Fishy Skin’s latest savior?
    Emily Retter, Air Mail, 12 June 2025
  • The last time Marines were deployed to the streets of Los Angeles was in 1992, following days of rioting after the acquittal of officers in the beating of Rodney King.
    Nik Popli, Time, 11 June 2025
Preposition
  • The hearing took place against a backdrop of ongoing tensions in Los Angeles, where Trump has deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines, a move that legal experts said was highly unusual and based on laws that could be interpreted in different ways.
    Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2025
  • Born in New England and inspired by French cuisine, Nicholas Elmi won against fan favorite Nina Compton in the New Orleans season final.
    Kate Hogan, People.com, 13 June 2025
Adverb
  • The system must already know your preferences, values, limitations, and goals before executing anything on your behalf.
    Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • Look, it’s already started, with criticism of his performance for the national team against Portugal on Wednesday.
    Philipp Lahm, New York Times, 6 June 2025
Preposition
  • The Red Sox rookie enjoyed one of the best starts of his young career on Saturday night, tossing six scoreless innings in a 4-3 win over the Bombers.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025
  • From fall prevention and vision training to the importance of increasing your motor reserve, Lewis and Niotis emphasized that brain health is not fixed.
    Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 14 June 2025
Adverb
  • The report said nearly a third of Britain’s 2.4M creative employees experience workplace conflict, resulting in people leaving jobs early or being out of work.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 10 June 2025
  • This taught me early that real leadership means becoming an example.
    Sandra Balogun, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Before.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/before. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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