precede
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to happen or exist before something else in time.
v.to occur or exist before a specific point in time or a subsequent event. Transitive — requires a direct object.
Simple“A long period of silence preceded the announcement of the winner.”
In context“The economic collapse was preceded by a decade of unsustainable lending and rapid inflation that few analysts correctly identified at the time.”
UsageOften used in the passive voice: 'A is preceded by B' means B happens first.
PitfallThe storm was preceded with a calm period. The storm was preceded by a calm period.When using the passive voice, use the preposition 'by' to show what came first.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to go in front of someone or something else in a line or procession.
v.to go before someone or something else in space or in a formal procession.
Simple“The mayor preceded the other officials into the town hall.”
In context“The ceremonial guards preceded the royal carriage as the procession moved slowly through the crowded city streets.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to put something at the beginning of a speech or piece of writing.
v.to preface or introduce a statement or text with something else.
Simple“She preceded her presentation with a short video about the project.”
In context“The author preceded the final chapter with a poignant quote from a nineteenth-century poet to set the tone for the conclusion.”
UsageUsually takes the pattern 'precede something with something'.
- 04 C2 Proficiency
n.a short introduction at the start of an article or essay.
n.a brief editorial preface or introductory note, typically found at the beginning of a journal article or essay.
Simple“The editor wrote a brief precede to explain the history of the report.”
In context“The scholarly journal included a short precede for each article to provide historical context for the research findings.”
Teacher's tipThis noun sense is highly specialized and rare; learners will almost always encounter 'precede' as a verb.
precede vs proceed — Precede means to come before in time or order, while proceed means to continue or move forward.
“A Tomas Magnusson red card for Hearts preceded the Pierre Landry Kabore equaliser that forced extra time.”
“And these shorter hot periods often precede or follow hot days, extending the stress a heatwave puts on your body.”
From Middle French précéder, from Latin praecēdō, from prae- + cēdō.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.