previous to

preposition

Examples of previous to in a Sentence

his passport arrived just previous to his trip
Recent Examples on the Web The only remaining flagship store previous to this announcement was one that occupies two levels at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Jenny Goldsberry, Washington Examiner, 29 Sep. 2023 The owner previous to the Greenbackers had already sold the development rights to the state’s farmland preservation program. Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 5 May 2022 Chrishell was a practicing agent at another brokerage, many years previous to filming Selling Sunset. Robyn Merrett, PEOPLE.com, 26 Aug. 2020 Season of the Witch finds Romero crafting a film along the lines of Ingmar Bergman's work, which in the decade previous to this film's release were at the height of their popularity in the United States. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 19 Jan. 2023 This new reality is even scarier for women of color, women living in poverty, immigrant women, disabled women, and LGBTQA+ communities who, previous to the ruling, already lacked adequate access to reproductive care and were faced with a growing maternal mortality crisis in America. Alyssa Wright, Forbes, 29 June 2022 The letters also include his nomination of Forster to the Nobel Committee just seven years previous to his letter to Ozick. Alexander Chee, The New Republic, 21 Sep. 2021 In the 24 years previous to his arrival, there were just two winning seasons. Stefan Krajisnik, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Mar. 2021 So far, all four of the dogs that the group of men have fostered previous to Apollo have been adopted and not returned to the rescue. San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'previous to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of previous to was in 1698

Dictionary Entries Near previous to

Cite this Entry

“Previous to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/previous%20to. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

previous to

preposition
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