precede

precede — verb

1. to happen earlier than something else, or to be placed in front of it in order o

1.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to happen earlier than something else, or to be placed in front of it in order or position

Example

A loud bell preceded the runners' start at the school sports day.

event comes before a main action

In the book, a map precedes the first chapter.

order in a text or book

Common collocations
  • immediately precede
  • precede the chapter
  • precede the visitors
  • be preceded by a comma
  • precede by several years
Synonyms
  • come before

    more neutral and much more common in everyday English

  • lead

    often used for moving in front of a group or line

  • happen before

    used only for time, not physical order

  • go ahead of

    slightly less formal and often physical

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

precede something

be preceded by something

Usage Note

Common with events, years, chapters, titles, and people in a line. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes what comes first, not the act of adding an opening remark or piece of text.

Common Mistakes

The speech preceded before dinner.
The speech preceded dinner.
'precede' already includes the idea of coming before.
Please precede to the next page.
Please proceed to the next page.
'precede' means come earlier or be in front; 'proceed' means continue.

2. to place a short remark, action, or text before something else so that it begins

2.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to place a short remark, action, or text before something else so that it begins in a particular way

Example

Professor Lee preceded the lecture with a joke about exam season.

pattern: precede something with something

The prize announcement was preceded by a minute of silence.

passive: be preceded by introductory action

Common collocations
  • precede a lecture with a joke
  • precede a report with a note
  • precede remarks with an apology
  • precede each chapter with a quote
Synonyms
  • introduce

    broader and less formal; not limited to what comes first

  • preface

    formal and especially common in writing or planned speech

  • open with

    more conversational and common in speech

Grammar Patterns

precede something with something

Usage Note

Only sense that regularly takes the pattern 'precede X with Y'. The first object is usually a talk, question, chapter, report, film, or event, and the second part is the opening material added before it.

Common Mistakes

The host preceded the show by a joke.
The host preceded the show with a joke.
use 'with' to name the thing added first.
She preceded that the plan was risky.
She preceded her warning with a joke.
this sense does not take a that-clause.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These words all place one thing earlier than another, but they do not sound the same. 'Precede' is the most formal and is common in writing about time, order, grammar, and ceremony. 'Come before' is the plain everyday choice and works in most situations. 'Lead' often suggests moving in front of people or coming first in a race, line, or process. 'Happen before' is only about time, so it cannot describe physical position in a book or queue. 'Go ahead of' is less formal and often emphasizes movement or direction. You can say 'A map precedes the first chapter,' but in conversation many speakers would simply say 'The map comes before chapter one.'

precede ↗come before ↗leadhappen beforego ahead of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Precede came into English through French from Latin. The Latin verb 'praecedere' meant 'go before' and was built from 'prae', meaning 'before', and 'cedere', meaning 'go'. That older picture of one thing going first still explains both the time sense and the order sense in modern English.