previous to

as in before
earlier than his passport arrived just previous to his trip

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of previous to In the four years previous to that Flamengo and Palmeiras dominated South American football winning two titles each. Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024 Nine years previous to that, his Ghanaian parents Maria and Felix travelled overland, across the Sahara desert to the Spanish enclave of Melilla in north Africa, when Maria was pregnant with her first son Inaki (as the elder Williams sibling told The Athletic in an interview in 2022). Dermot Corrigan, The Athletic, 4 July 2024 The other alleged incident happened previous to the plaintiff’s full-time employment with Ye’s operations, which started in 2021. Dennis Romero, NBC News, 13 Oct. 2024 Chris Smither has been a longtime favorite of the EC-CHAP family, according to the organization’s assistant director, Ryan Elgin, who noted that efforts to schedule Smither began previous to the pandemic. Melanie Savage, Hartford Courant, 10 Feb. 2024 See All Example Sentences for previous to
Recent Examples of Synonyms for previous to
Preposition
  • One week before the Super Bowl, Beyoncé was awarded Album of the Year for the first time at the 2025 Grammy Awards for Cowboy Carter.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2025
  • Shady spots need special shrubs and flowers; learn what grows best before planting. 33.
    Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2025
Preposition
  • At minimum, if state estate tax laws refer to federal estate tax laws that have been repealed the state estate taxes may be ineffective unless the statutes are amended to provide that they are based on the federal estate tax rules just prior to repeal.
    Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
  • Wells Fargo Attune℠ World Elite Mastercard® Learn More Information about the Wells Fargo Attune℠ World Elite Mastercard® has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.
    Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 19 Feb. 2025
Preposition
  • The number of banks insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. dropped by 21 to 4,517 during the third quarter of 2024, the latest period for which the FDIC has provided data.
    Russ Wiles, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2025
  • Kelly edged West Aurora’s Dominic Serio 4-3 in the finals, avenging a sectional loss a week earlier to Serio.
    Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2025

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“Previous to.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/previous%20to. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

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