Phrasal verb
come before
Definition
phrasal verb. to happen or exist earlier than something else, or to be more important than another thing.
phrasal verb. to precede in time, order, or rank; often used to indicate that one priority or obligation takes precedence over another.
Examples
“The letter B comes before C in the alphabet.”
“In this company, the needs of the customers always come before the profits of the owners.”
“The legal team argued that the right to privacy should come before the public's desire for information in this specific case.”
Examples
simple
“The letter B comes before C in the alphabet.”
contextual
“In this company, the needs of the customers always come before the profits of the owners.”
complex
“The legal team argued that the right to privacy should come before the public's desire for information in this specific case.”
Usage
inseparable phrasal verb followed by the person or thing that is lower in rank or later in time.
Teaching tip
contrast the literal meaning of physical order with the figurative meaning of priority; 'come before' is less formal than 'precede' or 'take precedence over'.
Pitfall
My family comes before of my job.
My family comes before my job.
'before' acts as a preposition here, so you do not need to add 'of' after it.
Phrasal verb
Particles
before
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
come + before + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related words
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/come-before