previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance.

PRIOR definition: 1. existing or happening before something else, or before a particular time: 2. before a…. Learn more.

PRIOR definition: preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous. See examples of prior used in a sentence.

The earliest known use of the word prior is in the early 1600s. OED's earliest evidence for prior is from 1607, in the writing of Barnabe Barnes, poet and playwright.

Dec 26, 2025 · This adjective has no positive form; rather, it serves as the comparative (prior) and superlative (prīmus) of the preposition prae. (Compare the preposition post, with comparative …

Usage Note: Though prior usually modifies a noun that comes after it, as in prior approval, it sometimes modifies a noun for a unit of time which precedes it, as in five years prior.

PRIOR meaning: 1 : existing earlier in time previous; 2 : more important than something else because it came first

pri•or1 (prī′ ər), adj. preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous: A prior agreement prevents me from accepting this. preceding in importance or privilege. Idioms prior to, …

Definition of prior adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

If something happens prior to a particular time or event, it happens before that time or event.