before
- 01 A1 Beginner
prep.at an earlier time than something else.
prep.preceding a specific event, time, or action in a temporal sequence.
Simple“Please remember to wash your hands before dinner.”
In context“The contract must be signed and returned before the close of business on Friday to ensure the project remains on schedule.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
prep.in front of someone or something.
prep.positioned in front of or in the presence of someone, often in a formal context.
Simple“The witness had to stand before the judge and tell the truth.”
In context“The defendant stood before the magistrate, waiting for the formal charges to be read aloud to the court.”
Synonymsin front ofahead ofAntonyms - 03 A1 Beginner
conj.earlier than the time when something happens.
conj.introducing a subordinate clause that describes an event occurring later than the main clause.
Simple“He finished his homework before his friends arrived at the house.”
In context“The researchers gathered all necessary samples before the storm made the coastal site inaccessible for the remainder of the week.”
Synonymsahead of whenAntonyms - 04 A2 Elementary
adv.at a time in the past.
adv.at a time preceding the present or a specified point in the past.
Simple“I think I have seen this movie before, but I don't remember the ending.”
In context“Although the symptoms seemed familiar, the patient insisted she had never experienced such severe pain before the recent surgery.”
Synonyms - 05 B1 Intermediate
n.the 'start' picture in a pair that shows a change.
n.the initial state or image in a comparison, typically paired with 'after' to show the results of a process.
Simple“The 'before' photo shows how messy the garden was before we cleaned it.”
In context“The marketing campaign relied heavily on 'before' and 'after' shots to demonstrate the dramatic efficacy of the new skin treatment.”
Synonymsinitial stateAntonyms
before vs ago — Ago counts back from the present moment, while before relates one past event to an even earlier time.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epider. Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Old English be- Old English foran Old English beforan Middle English bifore English before Inherited from Middle English before /bifore, from Old English beforan, from be- + foran (“before”), from fore, from Proto-Germanic furai, from Proto-Indo-European per- (“front”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian befoar (“before”), German Low German bevör (“before”), German bevor (“before”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.