What is Before? General knowledge about Before in English I. Defining Core Meaning and Purpose of Before in English The word before in English fundamentally indicates precedence in time or position, serving as one of English's most essential sequencing words. Before /bɪˈfɔːr/ means " earlier " or " prior to." It is used in sentences in various roles, such as an adverb, preposition, or ...

We use ' by ' to set a specific time in which everything must occur before or at the exact moment. For example: Turn in your assignments by midnight. You have by Saturday to finish this project. We use ' before ' to show that something occurred in advance of a particular time or event.

"Before" in this sense is more concise and therefore more elegant than "in front of." I don't hesitate to use "before" like this in formal writing, though less often in speech.

Find 553 synonyms for before and other similar words that you can use instead based on 14 separate contexts from our thesaurus.

There are 38 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word before, four of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

In front of, in time or position; on the anterior or fore side of; in a position or at a point in advance of: as, a happy future lies before you; before the house; before the fire.

Master the complete guide to using "before" in English. Learn its 3 grammatical roles, avoid common mistakes, and understand when to use before vs ago. Essential grammar knowledge explained clearly.