English Reference
Noun

precedence

n. uncountable
C1 Advanced US /ˈpɹɛsədəns/ UK /pɹˈɛsɪdəns/ prece·dence UK spelling precedence's, precedence's

n.the condition of being more important than something else. When one thing has precedence, it happens first or gets more attention than other things.

n.the condition of being considered more important than someone or something else; priority in importance, order, or rank.


SIMPLE

Safety always takes precedence over speed.

CONTEXTUAL

In this emergency situation, medical supplies take precedence over all other cargo on the flight.

COMPLEX

The legal team argued that constitutional rights must take precedence over local ordinances, regardless of the specific circumstances of the case.

Usage

Commonly used with the verb 'take' and the preposition 'over'.

Pitfall
take precedence oftake precedence over

The standard preposition used with precedence to show priority is 'over'.

Usage take precedence

He says the favouritism has made him believe "the needs of others take precedence over my own", leaving him feeling "isolated" and affecting friendships and romantic relationships.

BBC News· 30 Aug 2026

But scientific naming follows a rule of priority: when the same species has been given more than one scientific name, the earliest valid name takes precedence.

ScienceDaily· 26 Aug 2026

From Middle French précédence (“the state of preceding, anteriority”). Morphologically precede + -ence.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin frm précédence
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated