before
before — preposition
1. used when something happens on the earlier side of a named time point or event.
used when something happens on the earlier side of a named time point or event.
Rina packed the picnic before sunrise on the last school holiday.
before + time noun phrase
Please return the library books before Friday afternoon.
The shop closes before the evening rush in this neighborhood.
No one ate dinner before Dad's return from work.
collocation: before sunrise / before Friday
- before sunrise
- before Friday
- before dinner
- before the rush
- earlier than
is a fuller phrase with almost the same meaning
- prior to
is more formal and common in official writing
- after
shows a later time
Grammar Patterns
before + time noun phrase
Usage Note
This is the basic time sense. It takes a noun phrase, not a full clause; compare the conjunction in sense 1, as in 'before the bus leaves'.
Common Mistakes
2. up to the time or event named, with that point acting as the limit.
up to the time or event named, with that point acting as the limit.
No buses stop here before six on winter mornings.
negative statement: not before + time
The baby hardly sleeps before midnight on warm nights.
Zane never checks his phone before breakfast with his grandmother.
Few tourists reach the island before the end of June.
limit point: before the end of + period
- before six
- before midnight
- before breakfast
- before the end of June
Grammar Patterns
not ... before + time or event noun phrase
Usage Note
Often appears with negatives such as 'no', 'hardly', 'never', and 'few'. Distinguish it from sense 1 by the idea of a limit: the action does not happen until that point is reached.
Common Mistakes
3. at an earlier time in your life or in history.
at an earlier time in your life or in history.
Before the war, the bridge carried farmers across the river.
before + historical event
I had met Nora before our science club trip to Hualien.
Before the internet, our family shared news by letter.
before + named period
Before now, our town had never seen snow in May.
- before the war
- before our trip
- before the internet
- before now
- earlier
is the most direct everyday alternative
- previously
is more formal and common in writing
- later
refers to a following time
Grammar Patterns
before + past event
before + named period
before now
Usage Note
Used when the speaker looks back from a later point. Unlike sense 1, it often works without naming one exact deadline and instead points generally to an earlier period.
Common Mistakes
4. further forward than someone or something, or placed ahead of them in order, imp
further forward than someone or something, or placed ahead of them in order, importance, rank, or the future.
A white van stopped before the school gate at noon.
physical position: before + place
Emma's name comes before mine on the class list.
order: come before + person
Several hard weeks still lie before the rescue team.
future pattern: lie before
At this hospital, patient safety comes before speed.
- before the gate
- come before
- lie before
- before someone in rank
- in front of
is the clearest everyday choice for physical position
- ahead of
often stresses order, progress, or competition
- above
can refer to higher rank, but not all future or order uses
Grammar Patterns
before + person or thing in position, order, rank, or future
Usage Note
This sense stretches beyond simple place. It is common with lists and ranks ('come before') and with future situations ('lie before us'). Distinguish it from sense 5, which is specifically about places on a route.
Common Mistakes
5. in front of a person or group so they can watch, listen, judge, or decide about
in front of a person or group so they can watch, listen, judge, or decide about it.
The case comes before the city court next Tuesday.
formal review: come before + court
Leila sang before a packed hall on opening night.
perform before + audience
The budget will be placed before the board tomorrow morning.
formal review: placed before + board
Zane was too nervous to speak before the whole class.
- come before the court
- place before the board
- speak before
- perform before
- in front of
fits the audience meaning, but not the formal decision-making meaning as well
- before the court
is a fixed legal expression for cases under review
- in the presence of
is more formal and stresses being watched or heard
Grammar Patterns
come before + court or board
speak or perform before + audience
Usage Note
Subject is often a case, plan, bill, or budget when a group must decide about it. With people and audiences, it means in their presence while they watch or listen.
Common Mistakes
6. used for a place that comes along the route sooner than the destination you are
used for a place that comes along the route sooner than the destination you are heading for.
There is a gas station before Tainan on Highway 1.
place before destination
The village sits before the mountain pass on the old road.
A small temple comes before the bridge from our side.
route order: come before
Before Kaohsiung, the bus stops at Pingtung for ten minutes.
- before Tainan
- before the bridge
- before the pass
- before Kaohsiung
- ahead of
can also work for route order, but is broader
- on the way to
is less exact and focuses more on the journey than on order
- after
marks a place reached later on the same route
Grammar Patterns
place + before + destination
Usage Note
This sense is about travel sequence, not general time. It is common in directions and route descriptions, especially with towns, exits, bridges, and stations.
Common Mistakes
before — adverb
1. at some previous point; earlier in your experience or story.
at some previous point; earlier in your experience or story.
I had seen that singer once before at the night market.
collocation: once before
Before, this room was a bakery for railway workers.
sentence adverb: before, ...
Our teacher explained the rule before, but Sam forgot it.
The town looked much quieter before than it does today.
- once before
- seen before
- said before
- before than today
- earlier
is the closest everyday alternative
- previously
is more formal and common in writing
- once
can overlap in context, especially with past experience
- later
means at a following time
- afterwards
means following that time or event
Grammar Patterns
once before
before + clause pause
had ... before
Usage Note
Unlike the preposition, this use stands alone without an object. Compare with 'beforehand', which usually means in advance of a later event rather than simply at an earlier time.
Common Mistakes
2. in the front position or further ahead.
in the front position or further ahead.
The drum team marched before, with dancers behind them.
literary adverb: before = ahead
A narrow path opened before, and the children ran toward it.
The bride's sisters went before, scattering white flower petals.
A security guard walked before, and the guests entered in pairs.
procession use: walked before
- march before
- open before
- walked before
- behind
means at the back or further to the rear
Grammar Patterns
stand or shine before
march before
Usage Note
This adverb is much less common than 'ahead' or 'in front'. It appears mostly in literary, descriptive, or old-fashioned narrative styles.
Common Mistakes
before — conjunction
1. at a point sooner than the moment when another action or state begins.
at a point sooner than the moment when another action or state begins.
Finish your lunch before the bus leaves the museum.
before + full clause
Nina had called me before the storm reached our town.
Please switch off the oven before you leave for school.
Before the bell rings, every student must sit down quietly.
fronted clause: before + subject + verb
- before you leave
- before the bell rings
- before the bus leaves
- before it happens
- earlier than
fits the time meaning but is less natural for full clauses
- ahead of the time when
is possible, but much less natural in everyday English
- after
shows a later time relation between the two clauses
Grammar Patterns
before + subject + verb
Usage Note
This is the clause form of 'before'. It must be followed by a subject and a verb, unlike preposition sense 1, which takes only a noun phrase.
Common Mistakes
2. earlier than another action had time to happen.
earlier than another action had time to happen.
The dog grabbed the sandwich before Jin could stop him.
before + could + verb
Before I could answer, the phone cut off.
fronted clause with could
The ice melted before the children were ready to skate.
Before anyone noticed, Leo slipped out the back door.
- before I could answer
- before anyone noticed
- before she could stop him
- before ... had time to
explains the same idea more fully
- so quickly that
changes the structure, but keeps the meaning
Grammar Patterns
before + subject + could / can + verb
Usage Note
This sense often appears when something happens too quickly for a person to react. 'Before ... could ...' is a very common pattern.
Common Mistakes
3. so that an unwanted thing does not happen.
so that an unwanted thing does not happen.
Hide the cake before the children find it in the fridge.
preventive pattern: act first to stop later event
Take the clothes inside before the rain soaks them.
Lock the gate before the dog runs into the street.
Turn off the stove before the milk boils over.
household warning pattern
- before the rain soaks
- before the dog runs out
- before the milk boils over
- so that ... not
explains the same purpose more directly
- lest
is much more formal and literary
Grammar Patterns
main clause + before + unwanted event clause
Usage Note
The main clause tells someone to act first, and the before-clause names the specific bad event they want to stop. Distinguish from sense 5, which is more about urgency or a lost chance.
Common Mistakes
4. not until the time when the action in the clause happens.
not until the time when the action in the clause happens.
It may be weeks before the road opens again.
time expression + before + clause
A long time passed before Hana heard any news.
Several years went by before the brothers met again.
It was midnight before the children finally fell asleep.
it was + time + before
- weeks before
- a long time passed before
- years went by before
- it was midnight before
Grammar Patterns
it was / may be + time + before + clause
Usage Note
This sense usually appears after a period of waiting or delay. The event in the before-clause is the point finally reached after that period.
Common Mistakes
5. used to warn or remind that something should happen first, or a bad result or lo
used to warn or remind that something should happen first, or a bad result or lost chance may follow.
Leave now before the last train is gone.
urgent warning: act now or lose chance
Tell Ava today before she hears it from someone else.
Before I forget, your blue umbrella is still in my car.
fixed phrase: before I forget
Book the table early before every window seat is taken.
- before I forget
- before it's too late
- before the last train is gone
- before she hears it elsewhere
- otherwise
states the warning more directly
- while there is still time
spells out the urgency
Grammar Patterns
do something before + bad result / missed chance clause
before I forget
Usage Note
Sense 3 focuses on preventing one specific event. This sense is broader and often adds urgency, reminding someone to act while there is still time.
Common Mistakes
6. used to show what someone would choose or accept sooner than something else.
used to show what someone would choose or accept sooner than something else.
Mina would walk home before she asked that rude man for help.
would ... before + clause
Before I lie to Grandma, I will tell the truth.
fronted preference contrast
Theo chose to sleep outside before he shared the tiny tent.
Carla would practise alone before she quit the team.
- would die before
- would walk home before
- before I lie
- before she quit
- rather than
is the most direct equivalent
- sooner than
often appears in the same type of preference contrast
Grammar Patterns
would ... before + clause
Usage Note
This sense usually compares two choices and says the first one is more acceptable. 'Would ... before ...' is the strongest and most typical pattern.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- beforehandadverbB1
Synonym discussion
Sense: preposition/1
'Before' is the normal everyday word for time: 'before lunch', 'before Friday', 'before sunrise'. 'Earlier than' is very close in meaning, but it often sounds more explicit or comparative, especially in careful explanation. 'Prior to' means the same thing, but it belongs to formal styles such as legal, academic, or business writing, so it can sound stiff in conversation. 'Ahead of' sometimes works for time, but it often suggests preparation, speed, or position rather than a simple time point. In most learner situations, choose 'before' first. Say 'Please finish this before noon', not 'prior to noon' unless the context is formal. Say 'The team arrived ahead of schedule' when the idea is earlier than planned, not just earlier than another event.
Common collocations
Nouns
- before dawn
- before breakfast
- before class
- before midnight
- before the weekend
Adverbs
- just before
- long before
- well before
- right before
- shortly before
Phrases
- before long
- before now
- before then
- before I forget
- before it's too late
Etymology
The word comes from Old English 'beforan', which first meant 'in front of' or 'at the front'. It was built from elements related to 'by' and 'front'. From the basic idea of one thing being in front of another, English later extended the word to time, order, rank, and situations that lie ahead. That is why one small word can mean physical position, earlier time, future events, and even formal review before a group.