Before

Before
Before Be*fore", adv. 1. On the fore part; in front, or in the direction of the front; -- opposed to {in the rear}. [1913 Webster]

The battle was before and behind. --2 Chron. xiii. 14. [1913 Webster]

2. In advance. ``I come before to tell you.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. In time past; previously; already. [1913 Webster]

You tell me, mother, what I knew before. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

4. Earlier; sooner than; until then. [1913 Webster]

When the butt is out, we will drink water; not a drop before. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Note: Before is often used in self-explaining compounds; as, before-cited, before-mentioned; beforesaid. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Before — Be*fore , prep. [OE. beforen, biforen, before, AS. beforan; pref. be + foran, fore, before. See {Be }, and {Fore}.] 1. In front of; preceding in space; ahead of; as, to stand before the fire; before the house. [1913 Webster] His angel, who shall… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • before — I. adverb or adjective Etymology: Middle English, adverb & preposition, from Old English beforan, from be + foran before, from fore Date: before 12th century 1. in advance ; ahead < marching on before > 2. at an earlier time ; previously …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Before the mast — Before Be*fore , prep. [OE. beforen, biforen, before, AS. beforan; pref. be + foran, fore, before. See {Be }, and {Fore}.] 1. In front of; preceding in space; ahead of; as, to stand before the fire; before the house. [1913 Webster] His angel, who …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Before the wind — Before Be*fore , prep. [OE. beforen, biforen, before, AS. beforan; pref. be + foran, fore, before. See {Be }, and {Fore}.] 1. In front of; preceding in space; ahead of; as, to stand before the fire; before the house. [1913 Webster] His angel, who …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Before The Game — is an Australian rules football/comedy television show in Australia on Network Ten.The show is hosted by Andrew Maher, with regular panelists including Mick Molloy, Dave Hughes, Sam Lane, and Lehmo. The format of the show is a light hearted… …   Wikipedia

  • before long — {adv. phr.} In a short time; without much delay; in a little while, soon. * /Class will be over before long./ * /We were tired of waiting and hoped the bus would come before long./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • before long — {adv. phr.} In a short time; without much delay; in a little while, soon. * /Class will be over before long./ * /We were tired of waiting and hoped the bus would come before long./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Before Present — (BP) years are a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the present time changes, standard practice is to use 1950 as the arbitrary origin of the age scale.… …   Wikipedia

  • Before They Were Stars — is a 1996 30 minute American ABC television show which was hosted by Scott Baio; it was preceeded by four hour long specials. The term Before They Were Stars has since become widely used by television shows and magazines when featuring segments… …   Wikipedia

  • before you know it — {adv. phr.} Sooner than one would expect. * /Don t despair; we ll be finished with this work before you know it!/ …   Dictionary of American idioms

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