before

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   Earlier than (in time).

   • I want this done before Monday.
   • We made an odd party before the arrival of the Ten, particularly when the Celebrity dropped in for lunch or dinner.
2. 2

   In front of in space.

   • He stood before me.
   • We sat before the fire to warm ourselves.
   • His angel, who shall go / Before them in a cloud and pillar of fire.
3. 3

   In the presence of.

   • He performed before the troops in North Africa.
   • He spoke before a joint session of Congress.
4. ›+ 12 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      Under consideration, judgment, authority of (someone).

      • The case laid before the panel aroused nothing but ridicule.
      • If a suit be begun before an archdeacon[…]
   2. 5

      In store for, in the future of (someone).

      • Your whole life is before you.
      • The golden age[…]is before us.
      • There is an Eternity behind thee as well as one before. Hast thou bewailed the aeons that passed without thee, who art so much afraid of the aeons that shall pass?
   3. 6

      In front of, according to a formal system of ordering items.

      • In alphabetical order, "cat" comes before "dog", "canine" before feline".
   4. 7

      At a higher or greater position than, in a ranking.

      • An entrepreneur puts market share and profit before quality, and amateur intrinsic qualities before economical considerations.
      • He that cometh after me is preferred before me.
   5. 8

      At an earlier time.

      • I've never done this before.
      • This achievement far exceeded anything that had come before.
   6. 9

      In advance in position or sequence

      In advance in position or sequence; ahead.

      • We walked behind while they went before.
   7. 10

      At the front end.

      • When people call this beast to mind, They marvel more and more At such a little tail behind, So LARGE a trunk before.
   8. 11

      In advance of the time when.

      • Near-synonym: no later than
      • Brush your teeth before you go to bed.
      • But before this elaborate treatise can become of universal use and ornament to my native country, two points[…] are absolutely necessary.
   9. 12

      Rather or sooner than.

      • I'll die before I('ll) tell you anything about it.
   10. 13

       Of before-and-after images

       Of before-and-after images: the one that shows the difference before a specified treatment.

   11. 14

       That which occurred or existed previously.

       • Your music has lasted since the beginning of the world. A stone was born in the waters. […] Voice rising to heaven, pure music, green primal root, mother-sea, before all the befores.
   12. 15

       A previous form or instance.

       • A big wind blew all their befores away. Impacted teeth grew over their names. Even the lines in their hands unraveled, these are the lines they stand in to ask for their hands back.
       • I guess I should have known from all the befores / that when it’s all said and done / I don’t want to be / I won’t stand to be / I refuse to be / anything but YOURS
       • They were chatting and laughing and it made my heart hurt. They were getting out. Returning to whatever their befores were. They didn’t even glance back at the house as they climbed into the waiting vehicles.

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