before
adverb · noun
Simple meaning
At an earlier time.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
bihfawrSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
bɪˈfɔɹ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
At an earlier time.
noun
Of before-and-after images: the one that shows the difference before a specified treatment.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Word Aura is being prepared for this meaning.
More ways to use before
- “I had known her before.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Before the Christian era.
In the near future.
Be the predecessor of.
Income before interest and taxes and depreciation and amortization have been subtracted.
The right to equal protection of the laws.
A person who procures or advises or commands the commission of a felony but who is not present at its perpetration.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.