come before
The phrase "come before" can indicate precedence in time, importance, or formal presentation.
🇺🇸 US Voice:
🇬🇧 UK Voice:
Definition
B2General
(common)To happen earlier in time or order.
Example
- The introduction comes before the main content in the book.
- Spring comes before summer.
B2Priority
(common)To be more important or prioritized over something else.
Example
- For her, family always comes before work.
- Safety must come before speed.
C1Formal
(formal, official)To be presented to an authority or official body for discussion or decision.
Example
- The proposal will come before the committee next week.
- The case came before the judge yesterday.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "come before":
come aftercome firstahead ofput beforecome forget ahead ofcome atbring forwardlead up tocome forthcome withrun aheadcome forwardbefore someone's timecome torun beforecome upin frontcome fromcome into