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Synonyms

prior

1 American  
[prahy-er] / ˈpraɪ ər /

adjective

  1. preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous.

    A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this.
    Synonyms:
    antecedent, anterior

  2. preceding in importance or privilege.

noun

  1. Informal. a prior conviction.

idioms

  1. prior to, preceding; before.

    Prior to that time, buffalo had roamed the Great Plains in tremendous numbers.
prior 2 American  
[prahy-er] / ˈpraɪ ər /

noun

  1. an officer in a monastic order or religious house, sometimes next in rank below an abbot.

  2. a chief magistrate, as in the medieval republic of Florence.

Prior 3 American  
[prahy-er] / ˈpraɪ ər /

noun

  1. Matthew, 1664–1721, English poet.

prior 1 British  
/ ˈpraɪə /

adjective

  1. (prenominal) previous; preceding

  2. before; until

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. statistics a prior probability

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
prior 2 British  
/ ˈpraɪə /

noun

  1. the superior of a house and community in certain religious orders

  2. the deputy head of a monastery or abbey, ranking immediately below the abbot

  3. (formerly) a chief magistrate in medieval Florence and other Italian republics

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Prior 3 British  
/ ˈpraɪə /

noun

  1. Matthew. 1664–1721, English poet and diplomat, noted for his epigrammatic occasional verse

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • priorly adverb
  • priorship noun
  • subpriorship noun

Etymology

Origin of prior1

First recorded in 1705–15; from Latin: “former, elder, superior” (adjective), “before” (adverb); akin to pre-, prime

Origin of prior2

First recorded before 1100; Middle English, late Old English, from Medieval Latin, Late Latin: “one superior in rank”; noun use of prior prior 1

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.

A bearish hanging man on Feb. 26 followed by a doji yesterday suggests the potential for a change in trend from the prior advance.

From Barron's

Software accounted for 39% of the company’s revenue in the prior quarter, noted Paul Meeks, head of technology research at Freedom Capital Markets.

From MarketWatch

The company has also already completed $473 million in share repurchases this year through a prior buyback authorization.

From MarketWatch

The MTA’s lawsuit, filed in February 2025, challenged the federal government’s attempt to rescind its prior approval for the tolling system.

From The Wall Street Journal

The company posted net income of $17.8 million for the quarter, or 34 cents a share, compared with a loss of $551,000, or 1 cent a share, the year prior.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.