EN

Synonyms for before

  • preposition
  • adverb
  • conjunction

Most common

no later than previous to by ante ahead of in front of

Synonyms by meaning

Preposition

1. Prior to — earlier than (in time)

prior to formal, no later than, previous to, by, ante, ere formal dated

2. Ahead of — in front of in space

ahead of, in front of

Other

until, in advance of, above

Adverb

1. Earlier

earlier, ahead, previously, already, beforehand, formerly, whilom, hitherto dated

Other

thus formal

Conjunction

as soon as, lest formal

Antonyms

after, following, post

All antonyms of before →

Definitions

  1. prep. 1

    Earlier than (in time).

    I want this done before Monday.

  2. prep. 2

    In front of in space.

    We sat before the fire to warm ourselves.

  3. adv. 1

    At an earlier time.

    I've never done this before.

  4. conj. 1

    In advance of the time when.

    Near-synonym: no later than

Related words

Word family
before-and-after beforehand beforemath beforesaid beforetime
Phrases
come before chicks before dicks hoes before bros sisters before misters best before date dicks before chicks misters before sisters

Choose the right word

Before, Of, To, Toward, On or Upon?

The behavior of the pastor to or toward his people, on or upon the streets, before the multitude, or in the church, with the godly, or with the worldly, was alike faultless.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • until I will wait until you have finished your homework.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
beforesteady
untilsteady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

2 letters
by1
3 letters
ere1
4 letters
thus1, lest1, ante2
5 letters
until2, above2, ahead2
6 letters
whilom
7 letters
already3, earlier3
8 letters
formerly3, hitherto3
10 letters
previously4, beforehand3

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ante2 = 2 syllables).