What does "before" mean?
Of before-and-after images: the one that shows the difference before a specified treatment.
Before
/bɪˈfɔː/ adv, conj, noun, prep, slang
adv, conj, noun, prep, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Of before-and-after images: the one that shows the difference before a specified treatment.
- Grammar: before is listed as adv, conj, noun, prep, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: above, advance, aforetime, ahead.
- Useful contrasts: ap credit for physics, beginner module in physics, civil service in colonies.
- Usage evidence: There will always be things I will never learn, I don't have eternity before me!
How to use "before"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "before" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "before" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "before" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "before" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "before" is acting as adv, conj, noun, prep, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "above" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "before", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Of before-and-after images: the one that shows the difference before a specified treatment.
"On the left of the double column of photographs are the “befores.” Look at them! Fine boys all, yet here is an unformed mouth; there, a fine face just missing strength by a slight over-plumpness of feature; below, a clever face just a shade too “smart”; on the next page, a form too slight and beginning to stoop. On the right are the “afters.”"
- 2 That which occurred or existed previously. often, poetic, uncommon
"As all are commanded to yield like the mummy when the dung beetle rolls the sun / before all the befores of the trillion nights past night and day / though I knew that the broken receding mouth of the Sphinx had nothing to add / of resurrection in the history of its grimace."
- 3 A previous form or instance. rare
"A big wind blew all their befores away. Impacted teeth grew over their names. Even the lines in their hands unraveled, these are the lines they stand in to ask for their hands back."
Adverb
- 1 At an earlier time. not-comparable
"I've never done this before."
- 2 In advance in position or sequence; ahead. literary, not-comparable, poetic
"We walked behind while they went before."
- 3 At the front end. not-comparable, uncommon
"When people call this beast to mind, They marvel more and more At such a little tail behind, So LARGE a trunk before."
Adverb
- 1 earlier in time; previously wordnet
- 2 at or in the front wordnet
Preposition
- 1 Earlier than (in time).
"I want this done before Monday."
- 2 In front of in space.
"He stood before me."
- 3 In the presence of.
"He performed before the troops in North Africa."
- 4 Under consideration, judgment, authority of (someone).
"The case laid before the panel aroused nothing but ridicule."
- 5 In store for, in the future of (someone).
"Your whole life is before you."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 In front of, according to a formal system of ordering items.
"In alphabetical order, "cat" comes before "dog", "canine" before feline"."
- 7 At a higher or greater position than, in a ranking.
"An entrepreneur puts market share and profit before quality, and amateur intrinsic qualities before economical considerations."
Conjunction
- 1 In advance of the time when.
"Near-synonym: no later than"
- 2 Rather or sooner than. informal
"I'll die before I('ll) tell you anything about it."
Antonyms
ap credit for physicsbeginner module in physicscivil service in coloniescrustal displacement along fault
Example
"There will always be things I will never learn, I don't have eternity before me!"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "before"?
Common synonyms include: above, advance, aforetime, ahead, ahead, ahead of.
How do you use "before" in a sentence?
There will always be things I will never learn, I don't have eternity before me!
How do you pronounce "before"?
Pronounced /bɪˈfɔː/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English before /bifore, from Old English beforan, from be- + foran (“before”), from fore, from Proto-Germanic *furai, from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“front”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian befoar (“before”), German Low German bevör (“before”), German bevor (“before”).