precedent
Americannoun
-
law a judicial decision that serves as an authority for deciding a later case
-
an example or instance used to justify later similar occurrences
adjective
Usage
What does precedent mean? A precedent is an act or decision that serves as a guide for future situations with similar circumstances.For example, the first U.S. president, George Washington, set a precedent when he limited himself to only two terms as president, and presidents ever since (with the exception of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) have followed that precedent—meaning they have done the same thing.Precedent is especially used in a legal context, in which it refers to a past court decision or judicial ruling that can be used as a guideline for decisions in similar cases. In this context, precedent often refers collectively to all previous decisions relevant to the case. This sense of the word is used without the articles a or the, as in This ruling was based on precedent. Typically, lower courts (such as a state trial court or a U.S. district court) will look at decisions made by higher courts (such as a state supreme court or a U.S. court of appeals) to use as judicial precedent. Basing judicial decisions on precedent is intended to make them more objective or impartial due to not being based on a single personal opinion. Still, decisions are not required to be made based on precedent. Judges may break precedent or go against precedent in certain cases. These phrases can also be used outside of a legal context.In general, when something has never been done or has never happened before, it can be described as without precedent. The word unprecedented means the same thing.Much less commonly, precedent can be used as an adjective that means the same thing as preceding (which is much more commonly used).Example: If we make this a holiday, we’ll set a precedent that our employees will expect us to follow every year.
Other Word Forms
- nonprecedent noun
- precedentless adjective
- quasi-precedent adjective
Etymology
Origin of precedent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Middle French, from Latin praecēdent- (stem of praecēdēns ), present participle of praecēdere “to go in front of, go ahead of”; the noun is from the adjective; precede, -ent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The only glitch in the matrix: Rubio was not planning to bring any reporters on his plane, in a rare break with decades of precedent for US secretaries of state.
From Barron's
“There is no modern precedent for regime change achieved through air power alone. Bombs can degrade infrastructure. They can weaken capabilities. But they do not manufacture organized political alternatives,” he said.
As supreme leader he never sets foot outside the country, a precedent set by Khomeini following his triumphant return to Tehran from France in 1979.
From Barron's
But under a legal precedent established in the 1980s, companies that dig deeper into their supply chains can report what was paid in the “first sale.”
"We now have a new precedent in this country that presidents and former presidents can testify before this committee," Garcia added.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
