before someone's time
The idiom "before someone's time" is used to describe events or conditions that occurred before a person was born or experienced, or to indicate premature development.
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Definition
B2Historical Context
(common)Refers to events or conditions that occurred before a person was born or before they were aware of them.
Example
- I don't know about the 1970s fashion trends; they were before my time.
- That war happened before his time, so he has no direct memory of it.
B2Developmental Context
(common)Describes a stage in life or development that seems to have occurred prematurely.
Example
- She took on many responsibilities before her time due to family circumstances.
- His hair turned gray before his time, likely because of stress.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "before someone's time":
against timeout of one's timein good timein one's own timenot a minute too soonin timeout of timeabout timetoo soonborrowed timeget ahead of oneselfcome beforecome to timehigh time