1
[ pronoun ] preposition, in or toward the front

Synonyms

in_front_of

2
[ adverb ] earlier in time; previously

Synonyms

earlier

Examples

"I had known her before" "as I said before" "he called me the day before but your call had come even earlier" "her parents had died four years earlier" "I mentioned that problem earlier"

Used in print

(Walter H. Buchsbaum, "Advances in Medical Electronics"...)

As mentioned before , bone reflects the sound energy and in Fig. 7 the portion of the spine shows as the black area in the center .

(John R. Sargent, "Where To Aim Your Planning for Bigger...)

Despite generally good levels of income , we see greater price pressures than ever before - traveling back along the chain from consumer to distributor to manufacturer .

(Sports Age, 24:9...)

Camping is family fun , and it is helping more Americans see more of the country than they ever saw before .

(James Boylan, "Mutinity"...)

Nearly twenty-five years before , Captain_John_Davis had noted , as he sailed near the Arctic_Circle , `` a very great gulf , the water whirling and roaring , as_it_were the meeting of tides '' .

Worse , his present crew included five men who had sailed with him before .

3
[ conjunction ] conjunction, prior to the latter

Synonyms

previous_to

4
[ adverb ] at or in the front

Synonyms

in_front ahead

Examples

"I see the lights of a town ahead" "the road ahead is foggy" "staring straight ahead" "we couldn't see over the heads of the people in front" "with the cross of Jesus marching on before"

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