prior

1 of 2

adjective

pri·or ˈprī(-ə)r How to pronounce prior (audio)

: earlier in time or order

: taking precedence (as in importance)

priorly adverb

prior

2 of 2

noun

plural priors

: the superior ranking next to the abbot of a monastery

: the superior of a house or group of houses of any of various religious communities

US law enforcement, informal : a previous instance of arrest or conviction for a crime

He had been told that burglary, like auto theft, rarely drew a state prison term, unless you had lots of priors.

Joseph Wambaugh

Example Sentences

Adjective Do you have a prior history of back problems? The job requires prior experience in advertising. The defendant had a prior record of convictions. I'm sorry, but we have a prior commitment and can't come tonight. We have a prior claim to the estate.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Thomas Barrack, the former chairman of investment firm Colony Capital Inc., is accused of acting as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the U.S. Attorney General.

James Fanelli, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2022 The 36-year-old also referenced the complicated circumstances regarding the cancellation of her prior Joanne world tour, which she was forced to cut short in February 2018 after experiencing body pain due to fibromyalgia.

Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 18 Sep. 2022 Focusing on Chouinard’s personal attributes, rather than asking how the new trust will ensure prior mistakes are not repeated, skews the narrative.

Rachel Donald, The New Republic, 17 Sep. 2022 But because of the prior incident, the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office ruled the second child’s death a homicide, Clausing said.

Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 17 Sep. 2022 His prior write-ups had been for minor infractions: failing to make his bed, having a box of raspberries in his room and forgetting to sign off on mandatory chores.

Moe Clark, ProPublica, 16 Sep. 2022 Local volunteers said they were not given prior notice of the operation, which left migrants stranded on nearby sidewalks.

Camilo Montoya-galvez, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2022 All Puerto Ricans can wear No. 21 on Roberto Clemente Day, along with each team’s Clemente Award nominee and prior Clemente Award winners.

The Enquirer, 16 Sep. 2022 That means that for many on AHCCCS, prior authorization criteria limit CGM availability, which frustrates many health care providers.

AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2022

Noun

His car narrowly missed an unmarked law enforcement vehicle, which zips past less than a second prior.

Tami Abdollah, USA TODAY, 19 May 2021 Depending on your past familiarity with white tube socks (your prior), your visual system may correctly conclude that the socks are truly white but illuminated by green lighting.

Stephen L. Macknik, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2019 The fair value of KKR’s private-equity portfolio climbed by roughly 14% from the prior...

Miriam Gottfried And Allison Prang, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2020 Unfortunately, Altschul fails to convincingly imagine how a young, middle-class American Jewish woman, whatever her priors, could make the leap to armed struggle.

Alex Cuadros, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2020 His priors included counts of lewd acts upon a child, possession for sale of crack, domestic violence and vehicle theft.

Evan Sernoffsky, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Feb. 2020 Curtis Thornton was a first-time offender with no priors, and nobody was hurt in the arsons, but Jones sentenced him to 100 years in prison.

John Archibald | Jarchibald@al.com, al, 30 Oct. 2019 In June, Begin's attorney appealed the sentence, arguing that 40 to 60 years in prison would be more appropriate for a man of his age with no priors and that his 120-year sentence was inappropriate.

Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, 30 Oct. 2019 Facing up to life in prison with his priors, Morales agreed to plead guilty, serve a three-year sentence and, upon completion, be deported to his birth country: South Korea.

Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2019 See More

prior

adjective

as in main

coming before all others in importance this assignment will be prior to any other work you may have

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

main
first
highest
primary
greatest
predominant
foremost
leading
dominant
big
key
principal
central
supreme
chief
paramount
cardinal
master
overriding
capital
great
premier
number one
primal
overbearing
preeminent
arch
sovereign
major
numero uno
top
outstanding
grand
overmastering
distinguished
notable
signal
important
senior
stellar
noteworthy
No. 1
illustrious
prestigious
superior
momentous
eminent
sovran
influential
significant
star
incomparable
unparalleled
famous
high-level
famed
celebrated
renowned
unequaled
noble
mighty
matchless
unsurpassed
unequalled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

last
least
minor
negligible
slight
secondary
trivial
unimportant
insignificant
subordinate
inferior
collateral
inconsequential
trifling
inconsiderable
subsidiary

as in previous

going before another in time or order we've made prior arrangements

Synonyms & Similar Words

previous
preceding
early
earliest
initial
precedent
antecedent
former
advance
foregoing
anterior
original
first
premature
preliminary
inaugural
preexisting
introductory
pioneer
maiden
erstwhile
whilom

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

subsequent
following
later
after
ensuing
succeeding
late
posterior
last
final
advanced
latter
latest
concluding
terminal
ultimate
closing

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of prior are antecedent, anterior, foregoing, former, preceding, and previous. While all these words mean "being before," previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance.

a child from a previous marriage

a prior obligation

While in some cases nearly identical to prior, antecedent applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation.

conditions antecedent to the revolution

Although the words anterior and prior have much in common, anterior applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order.

the anterior lobe of the brain

The meanings of foregoing and prior largely overlap; however, foregoing applies chiefly to statements.

the foregoing remarks

The words former and prior can be used in similar contexts, but former implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter.

the former name of the company

In some situations, the words preceding and prior are roughly equivalent. However, preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place.

the preceding sentence

单词	prior
释义	prior 1 of 2 adjective pri·or ˈprī(-ə)r 1 : earlier in time or order 2 : taking precedence (as in importance) priorly adverb prior 2 of 2 noun plural priors 1 a : the superior ranking next to the abbot of a monastery b : the superior of a house or group of houses of any of various religious communities 2 US law enforcement, informal : a previous instance of arrest or conviction for a crime He had been told that burglary, like auto theft, rarely drew a state prison term, unless you had lots of priors. Joseph Wambaugh Synonyms Adjective arch big capital cardinal central chief dominant first foremost grand great greatest highest key leading main master number one No. 1 numero uno overbearing overmastering overriding paramount predominant preeminent premier primal primary principal sovereign sovran supreme See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Adjective Do you have a prior history of back problems? The job requires prior experience in advertising. The defendant had a prior record of convictions. I'm sorry, but we have a prior commitment and can't come tonight. We have a prior claim to the estate. Recent Examples on the Web Adjective Thomas Barrack, the former chairman of investment firm Colony Capital Inc., is accused of acting as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the U.S. Attorney General. James Fanelli, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2022 The 36-year-old also referenced the complicated circumstances regarding the cancellation of her prior Joanne world tour, which she was forced to cut short in February 2018 after experiencing body pain due to fibromyalgia. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 18 Sep. 2022 Focusing on Chouinard’s personal attributes, rather than asking how the new trust will ensure prior mistakes are not repeated, skews the narrative. Rachel Donald, The New Republic, 17 Sep. 2022 But because of the prior incident, the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office ruled the second child’s death a homicide, Clausing said. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 17 Sep. 2022 His prior write-ups had been for minor infractions: failing to make his bed, having a box of raspberries in his room and forgetting to sign off on mandatory chores. Moe Clark, ProPublica, 16 Sep. 2022 Local volunteers said they were not given prior notice of the operation, which left migrants stranded on nearby sidewalks. Camilo Montoya-galvez, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2022 All Puerto Ricans can wear No. 21 on Roberto Clemente Day, along with each team’s Clemente Award nominee and prior Clemente Award winners. The Enquirer, 16 Sep. 2022 That means that for many on AHCCCS, prior authorization criteria limit CGM availability, which frustrates many health care providers. AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2022 Noun His car narrowly missed an unmarked law enforcement vehicle, which zips past less than a second prior. Tami Abdollah, USA TODAY, 19 May 2021 Depending on your past familiarity with white tube socks (your prior), your visual system may correctly conclude that the socks are truly white but illuminated by green lighting. Stephen L. Macknik, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2019 The fair value of KKR’s private-equity portfolio climbed by roughly 14% from the prior... Miriam Gottfried And Allison Prang, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2020 Unfortunately, Altschul fails to convincingly imagine how a young, middle-class American Jewish woman, whatever her priors, could make the leap to armed struggle. Alex Cuadros, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2020 His priors included counts of lewd acts upon a child, possession for sale of crack, domestic violence and vehicle theft. Evan Sernoffsky, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 Feb. 2020 Curtis Thornton was a first-time offender with no priors, and nobody was hurt in the arsons, but Jones sentenced him to 100 years in prison. John Archibald \| Jarchibald@al.com, al, 30 Oct. 2019 In June, Begin's attorney appealed the sentence, arguing that 40 to 60 years in prison would be more appropriate for a man of his age with no priors and that his 120-year sentence was inappropriate. Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, 30 Oct. 2019 Facing up to life in prison with his priors, Morales agreed to plead guilty, serve a three-year sentence and, upon completion, be deported to his birth country: South Korea. Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2019 See More Word History Etymology Adjective Latin, former, superior; akin to Latin priscus ancient, prae before — more at for Noun Middle English, from Old English & Anglo-French; both from Medieval Latin, from Late Latin, administrator, from Latin, former, superior First Known Use Adjective 1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Phrases Containing prior prior art prior restraint prior to without prior notice prior art prior restraint prior to without prior notice Kids Definition prior 1 of 2 noun pri·or ˈprī-ər : a monk who is head of a religious house prior 2 of 2 adjective 1 : being or happening before something else a prior date prior experience 2 : being more important than something else a prior claim Legal Definition prior adjective pri·or ˈprī-ər 1 : earlier in time or order 2 : taking precedence (as in importance) a prior lien Biographical Definition Prior biographical name ˈprī(-ə)r Matthew 1664–1721 English poet prior adjective 1 as in main coming before all others in importance this assignment will be prior to any other work you may have Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance main first highest primary greatest predominant foremost leading dominant big key principal central supreme chief paramount cardinal master overriding capital great premier number one primal overbearing preeminent arch sovereign major numero uno top outstanding grand overmastering distinguished notable signal important senior stellar noteworthy No. 1 illustrious prestigious superior momentous eminent sovran influential significant star incomparable unparalleled famous high-level famed celebrated renowned unequaled noble mighty matchless unsurpassed unequalled Antonyms & Near Antonyms last least minor negligible slight secondary trivial unimportant insignificant subordinate inferior collateral inconsequential trifling inconsiderable subsidiary See More 2 as in previous going before another in time or order we've made prior arrangements Synonyms & Similar Words previous preceding early earliest initial precedent antecedent former advance foregoing anterior original first premature preliminary inaugural preexisting introductory pioneer maiden erstwhile whilom Antonyms & Near Antonyms subsequent following later after ensuing succeeding late posterior last final advanced latter latest concluding terminal ultimate closing See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of prior are antecedent, anterior, foregoing, former, preceding, and previous. While all these words mean "being before," previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance. a child from a previous marriage a prior obligation While in some cases nearly identical to prior, antecedent applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation. conditions antecedent to the revolution Although the words anterior and prior have much in common, anterior applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order. the anterior lobe of the brain The meanings of foregoing and prior largely overlap; however, foregoing applies chiefly to statements. the foregoing remarks The words former and prior can be used in similar contexts, but former implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter. the former name of the company In some situations, the words preceding and prior are roughly equivalent. However, preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place. the preceding sentence Phrases Containing prior prior to prior to
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prior

adjective

noun

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing prior

Kids Definition

noun

adjective

Legal Definition

adjective

Biographical Definition

biographical name

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Phrases Containing prior