Definition of before in English:

before

conjunction, adverb, & preposition bɪˈfɔː

1During the period of time preceding (a particular event or time)
在（某事件、日期或时间）之前
as preposition she had to rest before dinner
她用餐前要休息一下。
the day before yesterday
前天。
as conjunction they lived rough for four days before they were arrested
他们在度过了艰难的四天后被捕了。
as adverb his playing days had ended six years before
他轻松愉快的日子六年前就结束了。
it's never happened to me before
我以前从未碰到过这种事。
Example sentencesExamples
- He sat up straight for some time before realising there were two people in front of him.
- We have met for a drink and a chat before dinner at a local restaurant with some of her mates.
- It turned out that the pilot spoke some English and had visited Boston before the war.
- Hastily he picked the book up and handed it to her and bowed his head before standing.
- He will also oversee the opening of another four shops before the end of the year.
- Ben led his friend to the bench on his long porch and then they both sat down before he answered.
- He said three to four minutes passed before someone came to take him down to the cells.
- We recently talked about what was going to happen in the period just before my death.
- Again, this was more than three times the figure for the same period the year before.
- It took a minute for him to realize where he was and remember the events of the night before.
- Remove them from the oven and leave to rest for five minutes before slicing in half.
- We went for a nice meal with the parents yesterday before having to catch the train home.
- I always prefer to read a book before I see a film, so that I can have my own images in my head.
- He had served with the Territorial Army before the war and rose to the rank of captain.
- We had to go home and wait four hours before phoning the hospital for the result.
- He looked at the clock and decided he better go visit Thomas before his dinner meeting.
- He was crossing the road to visit a nearby newsagents to buy milk before he went swimming.
- Four months before her death she gave him her blessing to go ahead with the procedure.
- She waited until she heard his car faded away before standing and getting her bags.
- We wanted to get the work started some four to six weeks ago before the weather turned.
Synonyms
prior to, previous to, earlier than, preparatory to, in preparation for, preliminary to, in anticipation of, in expectation of
in advance of, ahead of, leading up to, on the eve of
rare anterior to
previously, before now, before then, until now, until then, up to now, up to then
earlier, formerly, hitherto, in the past, in days gone by
rare heretofore
2In front of.
在…前面，在…面前
as preposition Matilda stood before her, panting
马蒂尔达气喘吁吁地站在她面前。
as adverb archaic trotting through the city with guards running before and behind
在卫兵前呼后拥下一路小跑穿过城市。
Example sentencesExamples
- No one else appeared to be aware of the fearful events that were unfolding before my eyes.
- I looked up and turned to the side to see a rather nice looking woman standing before me.
- Lia dug her hands into her jacket pockets, her eyes resting on the figure before her.
- The young man passes through the light, and is in a garden, standing before the gate.
- There was a stage at the front and the Headmaster was stood at it, before a microphone.
- You should have seen the look on her face when I stood before her door with my luggage in my hand.
Synonyms
ahead, in front, in advance, in the lead
1. 2.1preposition In front of and required to answer to (a court of law, tribunal, or other authority)
  面对（法院、法庭或其他官方机构）并受审
  he could be taken before a magistrate for punishment
  他可能会被送到地方法官那里接受处罚。
  Example sentencesExamples
  It seems to me they are wholly excessive when one looks at the bundle before the court.
  My Lord, I am not standing before my Lord to say that there is an obvious flaw in the logic.
  The justices before whom the question is brought and all the facts of the case appear.
  Sarah has a solicitor in Israel and plans to put the case before the court as soon as possible.
  The words impose a requirement on the court to make a judgment on the evidence before it.
  In it he seeks an order that his clients' appeal be heard afresh before a new court.
  Mr Binding has freely admitted to the crimes put before him several times in this court.
  Eight days later she was up before the same court to admit committing two further thefts.
  You shall stand before him to answer for the conspiracy to destroy his beloved sons!
  Ada is also a ward of court in the inheritance case and the pair are taken before the courts.
  If you were brought up before the headmaster he would poke you in the chest and you fell back.
  He has since been suspended from his job and at some stage will have to appear before a tribunal.
  Repeat young offenders have had to wait up to four months to be tried before magistrates.
  If a case is put before the court on a basis, the court can only deal with it on that basis.
  As I shall show in a moment, that evidence seems to me to have been before the tribunal.
  Synonyms
  in front of, in the presence of, in the sight of
  before the very eyes of, under the nose of
3In preference to; rather than.
（宁愿…）不愿，优先于
as preposition a skilled warrior who places duty before all else
as conjunction they would die before they would cooperate with each other
他们宁死也不愿合作。
Example sentencesExamples
- I would die before helping you destroy the human race," he said.
- While Michael was fiercely loyal in his professional and personal relationships, he had a ruthless streak and was prepared to put his career before all else.
- My dream is to be a great chef, and I put that before all things
Synonyms
in preference to, rather than, sooner than, above, over, instead of

Origin

Old English beforan (see by, fore), of Germanic origin; related to German bevor.

Rhymes

abhor, adore, afore, anymore, ashore, awe, bandore, Bangalore, boar, Boer, bore, caw, chore, claw, cocksure, comprador, cor, core, corps, craw, Delors, deplore, door, draw, drawer, evermore, explore, flaw, floor, for, forbore, fore, foresaw, forevermore, forswore, four, fourscore, furthermore, Gábor, galore, gnaw, gore, grantor, guarantor, guffaw, hard-core, Haugh, haw, hoar, ignore, implore, Indore, interwar, jaw, Johor, Lahore, law, lessor, lor, lore, macaw, man-o'-war, maw, mirador, mor, more, mortgagor, Mysore, nevermore, nor, oar, obligor, offshore, onshore, open-jaw, or, ore, outdoor, outwore, paw, poor, pore, pour, rapport, raw, roar, saw, scaur, score, senhor, señor, shaw, ship-to-shore, shop-floor, shore, signor, Singapore, snore, soar, softcore, sore, spore, store, straw, swore, Tagore, tau, taw, thaw, Thor, threescore, tor, tore, torr, trapdoor, tug-of-war, two-by-four, underfloor, underscore, war, warrantor, Waugh, whore, withdraw, wore, yaw, yore, your

Definition of before in US English:

before

adverb, conjunction, & prepositionbəˈfôrbəˈfɔr

1During the period of time preceding (a particular event, date, or time)
在（某事件、日期或时间）之前
as preposition she had to rest before dinner
她用餐前要休息一下。
the day before yesterday
前天。
as conjunction they lived rough for four days before they were arrested
他们在度过了艰难的四天后被捕了。
as adverb his playing days had ended six years before
他轻松愉快的日子六年前就结束了。
it's never happened to me before
我以前从未碰到过这种事。
before the war
it wasn't long before I had my first bite
没一会儿我就第一次等到了鱼来咬饵。
Example sentencesExamples
- Ben led his friend to the bench on his long porch and then they both sat down before he answered.
- Remove them from the oven and leave to rest for five minutes before slicing in half.
- Again, this was more than three times the figure for the same period the year before.
- He was crossing the road to visit a nearby newsagents to buy milk before he went swimming.
- We went for a nice meal with the parents yesterday before having to catch the train home.
- It turned out that the pilot spoke some English and had visited Boston before the war.
- I always prefer to read a book before I see a film, so that I can have my own images in my head.
- He looked at the clock and decided he better go visit Thomas before his dinner meeting.
- We wanted to get the work started some four to six weeks ago before the weather turned.
- We recently talked about what was going to happen in the period just before my death.
- It took a minute for him to realize where he was and remember the events of the night before.
- He sat up straight for some time before realising there were two people in front of him.
- Hastily he picked the book up and handed it to her and bowed his head before standing.
- He had served with the Territorial Army before the war and rose to the rank of captain.
- She waited until she heard his car faded away before standing and getting her bags.
- He said three to four minutes passed before someone came to take him down to the cells.
- He will also oversee the opening of another four shops before the end of the year.
- We have met for a drink and a chat before dinner at a local restaurant with some of her mates.
- Four months before her death she gave him her blessing to go ahead with the procedure.
- We had to go home and wait four hours before phoning the hospital for the result.
Synonyms
prior to, previous to, earlier than, preparatory to, in preparation for, preliminary to, in anticipation of, in expectation of
previously, before now, before then, until now, until then, up to now, up to then
2In front of.
在…前面，在…面前
as preposition Matilda stood before her, panting
马蒂尔达气喘吁吁地站在她面前。
as adverb archaic trotting through the city with guards running before and behind
在卫兵前呼后拥下一路小跑穿过城市。
the patterns swam before her eyes
各种图案在眼前浮现。
Example sentencesExamples
- No one else appeared to be aware of the fearful events that were unfolding before my eyes.
- There was a stage at the front and the Headmaster was stood at it, before a microphone.
- I looked up and turned to the side to see a rather nice looking woman standing before me.
- The young man passes through the light, and is in a garden, standing before the gate.
- Lia dug her hands into her jacket pockets, her eyes resting on the figure before her.
- You should have seen the look on her face when I stood before her door with my luggage in my hand.
Synonyms
ahead, in front, in advance, in the lead
1. 2.1preposition In front of and required to answer to (a court of law, tribunal, or other authority)
  面对（法院、法庭或其他官方机构）并受审
  he could be taken before a magistrate for punishment
  他可能会被送到地方法官那里接受处罚。
  a fall in the number of cases brought before the courts
  Example sentencesExamples
  You shall stand before him to answer for the conspiracy to destroy his beloved sons!
  It seems to me they are wholly excessive when one looks at the bundle before the court.
  In it he seeks an order that his clients' appeal be heard afresh before a new court.
  Ada is also a ward of court in the inheritance case and the pair are taken before the courts.
  He has since been suspended from his job and at some stage will have to appear before a tribunal.
  The words impose a requirement on the court to make a judgment on the evidence before it.
  My Lord, I am not standing before my Lord to say that there is an obvious flaw in the logic.
  If a case is put before the court on a basis, the court can only deal with it on that basis.
  As I shall show in a moment, that evidence seems to me to have been before the tribunal.
  Sarah has a solicitor in Israel and plans to put the case before the court as soon as possible.
  Repeat young offenders have had to wait up to four months to be tried before magistrates.
  Mr Binding has freely admitted to the crimes put before him several times in this court.
  The justices before whom the question is brought and all the facts of the case appear.
  If you were brought up before the headmaster he would poke you in the chest and you fell back.
  Eight days later she was up before the same court to admit committing two further thefts.
  Synonyms
  in front of, in the presence of, in the sight of
3In preference to; with a higher priority than.
（宁愿…）不愿，优先于
as preposition a skilled warrior who places duty before all else
as conjunction they would die before they would cooperate with each other
他们宁死也不愿合作。
Example sentencesExamples
- My dream is to be a great chef, and I put that before all things
- While Michael was fiercely loyal in his professional and personal relationships, he had a ruthless streak and was prepared to put his career before all else.
- I would die before helping you destroy the human race," he said.
Synonyms
in preference to, rather than, sooner than, above, over, instead of

Origin

Old English beforan (see by, fore), of Germanic origin; related to German bevor.

词汇	before
释义	Definition of before in English: before conjunction, adverb, & preposition bɪˈfɔː 1During the period of time preceding (a particular event or time) 在（某事件、日期或时间）之前 as preposition she had to rest before dinner 她用餐前要休息一下。 the day before yesterday 前天。 as conjunction they lived rough for four days before they were arrested 他们在度过了艰难的四天后被捕了。 as adverb his playing days had ended six years before 他轻松愉快的日子六年前就结束了。 it's never happened to me before 我以前从未碰到过这种事。 Example sentencesExamples He sat up straight for some time before realising there were two people in front of him. We have met for a drink and a chat before dinner at a local restaurant with some of her mates. It turned out that the pilot spoke some English and had visited Boston before the war. Hastily he picked the book up and handed it to her and bowed his head before standing. He will also oversee the opening of another four shops before the end of the year. Ben led his friend to the bench on his long porch and then they both sat down before he answered. He said three to four minutes passed before someone came to take him down to the cells. We recently talked about what was going to happen in the period just before my death. Again, this was more than three times the figure for the same period the year before. It took a minute for him to realize where he was and remember the events of the night before. Remove them from the oven and leave to rest for five minutes before slicing in half. We went for a nice meal with the parents yesterday before having to catch the train home. I always prefer to read a book before I see a film, so that I can have my own images in my head. He had served with the Territorial Army before the war and rose to the rank of captain. We had to go home and wait four hours before phoning the hospital for the result. He looked at the clock and decided he better go visit Thomas before his dinner meeting. He was crossing the road to visit a nearby newsagents to buy milk before he went swimming. Four months before her death she gave him her blessing to go ahead with the procedure. She waited until she heard his car faded away before standing and getting her bags. We wanted to get the work started some four to six weeks ago before the weather turned. Synonyms prior to, previous to, earlier than, preparatory to, in preparation for, preliminary to, in anticipation of, in expectation of in advance of, ahead of, leading up to, on the eve of rare anterior to previously, before now, before then, until now, until then, up to now, up to then earlier, formerly, hitherto, in the past, in days gone by rare heretofore 2In front of. 在…前面，在…面前 as preposition Matilda stood before her, panting 马蒂尔达气喘吁吁地站在她面前。 as adverb archaic trotting through the city with guards running before and behind 在卫兵前呼后拥下一路小跑穿过城市。 Example sentencesExamples No one else appeared to be aware of the fearful events that were unfolding before my eyes. I looked up and turned to the side to see a rather nice looking woman standing before me. Lia dug her hands into her jacket pockets, her eyes resting on the figure before her. The young man passes through the light, and is in a garden, standing before the gate. There was a stage at the front and the Headmaster was stood at it, before a microphone. You should have seen the look on her face when I stood before her door with my luggage in my hand. Synonyms ahead, in front, in advance, in the lead 2.1preposition In front of and required to answer to (a court of law, tribunal, or other authority) 面对（法院、法庭或其他官方机构）并受审 he could be taken before a magistrate for punishment 他可能会被送到地方法官那里接受处罚。 Example sentencesExamples It seems to me they are wholly excessive when one looks at the bundle before the court. My Lord, I am not standing before my Lord to say that there is an obvious flaw in the logic. The justices before whom the question is brought and all the facts of the case appear. Sarah has a solicitor in Israel and plans to put the case before the court as soon as possible. The words impose a requirement on the court to make a judgment on the evidence before it. In it he seeks an order that his clients' appeal be heard afresh before a new court. Mr Binding has freely admitted to the crimes put before him several times in this court. Eight days later she was up before the same court to admit committing two further thefts. You shall stand before him to answer for the conspiracy to destroy his beloved sons! Ada is also a ward of court in the inheritance case and the pair are taken before the courts. If you were brought up before the headmaster he would poke you in the chest and you fell back. He has since been suspended from his job and at some stage will have to appear before a tribunal. Repeat young offenders have had to wait up to four months to be tried before magistrates. If a case is put before the court on a basis, the court can only deal with it on that basis. As I shall show in a moment, that evidence seems to me to have been before the tribunal. Synonyms in front of, in the presence of, in the sight of before the very eyes of, under the nose of 3In preference to; rather than. （宁愿…）不愿，优先于 as preposition a skilled warrior who places duty before all else as conjunction they would die before they would cooperate with each other 他们宁死也不愿合作。 Example sentencesExamples I would die before helping you destroy the human race," he said. While Michael was fiercely loyal in his professional and personal relationships, he had a ruthless streak and was prepared to put his career before all else. My dream is to be a great chef, and I put that before all things Synonyms in preference to, rather than, sooner than, above, over, instead of Origin Old English beforan (see by, fore), of Germanic origin; related to German bevor. Rhymes abhor, adore, afore, anymore, ashore, awe, bandore, Bangalore, boar, Boer, bore, caw, chore, claw, cocksure, comprador, cor, core, corps, craw, Delors, deplore, door, draw, drawer, evermore, explore, flaw, floor, for, forbore, fore, foresaw, forevermore, forswore, four, fourscore, furthermore, Gábor, galore, gnaw, gore, grantor, guarantor, guffaw, hard-core, Haugh, haw, hoar, ignore, implore, Indore, interwar, jaw, Johor, Lahore, law, lessor, lor, lore, macaw, man-o'-war, maw, mirador, mor, more, mortgagor, Mysore, nevermore, nor, oar, obligor, offshore, onshore, open-jaw, or, ore, outdoor, outwore, paw, poor, pore, pour, rapport, raw, roar, saw, scaur, score, senhor, señor, shaw, ship-to-shore, shop-floor, shore, signor, Singapore, snore, soar, softcore, sore, spore, store, straw, swore, Tagore, tau, taw, thaw, Thor, threescore, tor, tore, torr, trapdoor, tug-of-war, two-by-four, underfloor, underscore, war, warrantor, Waugh, whore, withdraw, wore, yaw, yore, your Definition of before in US English: before adverb, conjunction, & prepositionbəˈfôrbəˈfɔr 1During the period of time preceding (a particular event, date, or time) 在（某事件、日期或时间）之前 as preposition she had to rest before dinner 她用餐前要休息一下。 the day before yesterday 前天。 as conjunction they lived rough for four days before they were arrested 他们在度过了艰难的四天后被捕了。 as adverb his playing days had ended six years before 他轻松愉快的日子六年前就结束了。 it's never happened to me before 我以前从未碰到过这种事。 before the war it wasn't long before I had my first bite 没一会儿我就第一次等到了鱼来咬饵。 Example sentencesExamples Ben led his friend to the bench on his long porch and then they both sat down before he answered. Remove them from the oven and leave to rest for five minutes before slicing in half. Again, this was more than three times the figure for the same period the year before. He was crossing the road to visit a nearby newsagents to buy milk before he went swimming. We went for a nice meal with the parents yesterday before having to catch the train home. It turned out that the pilot spoke some English and had visited Boston before the war. I always prefer to read a book before I see a film, so that I can have my own images in my head. He looked at the clock and decided he better go visit Thomas before his dinner meeting. We wanted to get the work started some four to six weeks ago before the weather turned. We recently talked about what was going to happen in the period just before my death. It took a minute for him to realize where he was and remember the events of the night before. He sat up straight for some time before realising there were two people in front of him. Hastily he picked the book up and handed it to her and bowed his head before standing. He had served with the Territorial Army before the war and rose to the rank of captain. She waited until she heard his car faded away before standing and getting her bags. He said three to four minutes passed before someone came to take him down to the cells. He will also oversee the opening of another four shops before the end of the year. We have met for a drink and a chat before dinner at a local restaurant with some of her mates. Four months before her death she gave him her blessing to go ahead with the procedure. We had to go home and wait four hours before phoning the hospital for the result. Synonyms prior to, previous to, earlier than, preparatory to, in preparation for, preliminary to, in anticipation of, in expectation of previously, before now, before then, until now, until then, up to now, up to then 2In front of. 在…前面，在…面前 as preposition Matilda stood before her, panting 马蒂尔达气喘吁吁地站在她面前。 as adverb archaic trotting through the city with guards running before and behind 在卫兵前呼后拥下一路小跑穿过城市。 the patterns swam before her eyes 各种图案在眼前浮现。 Example sentencesExamples No one else appeared to be aware of the fearful events that were unfolding before my eyes. There was a stage at the front and the Headmaster was stood at it, before a microphone. I looked up and turned to the side to see a rather nice looking woman standing before me. The young man passes through the light, and is in a garden, standing before the gate. Lia dug her hands into her jacket pockets, her eyes resting on the figure before her. You should have seen the look on her face when I stood before her door with my luggage in my hand. Synonyms ahead, in front, in advance, in the lead 2.1preposition In front of and required to answer to (a court of law, tribunal, or other authority) 面对（法院、法庭或其他官方机构）并受审 he could be taken before a magistrate for punishment 他可能会被送到地方法官那里接受处罚。 a fall in the number of cases brought before the courts Example sentencesExamples You shall stand before him to answer for the conspiracy to destroy his beloved sons! It seems to me they are wholly excessive when one looks at the bundle before the court. In it he seeks an order that his clients' appeal be heard afresh before a new court. Ada is also a ward of court in the inheritance case and the pair are taken before the courts. He has since been suspended from his job and at some stage will have to appear before a tribunal. The words impose a requirement on the court to make a judgment on the evidence before it. My Lord, I am not standing before my Lord to say that there is an obvious flaw in the logic. If a case is put before the court on a basis, the court can only deal with it on that basis. As I shall show in a moment, that evidence seems to me to have been before the tribunal. Sarah has a solicitor in Israel and plans to put the case before the court as soon as possible. Repeat young offenders have had to wait up to four months to be tried before magistrates. Mr Binding has freely admitted to the crimes put before him several times in this court. The justices before whom the question is brought and all the facts of the case appear. If you were brought up before the headmaster he would poke you in the chest and you fell back. Eight days later she was up before the same court to admit committing two further thefts. Synonyms in front of, in the presence of, in the sight of 3In preference to; with a higher priority than. （宁愿…）不愿，优先于 as preposition a skilled warrior who places duty before all else as conjunction they would die before they would cooperate with each other 他们宁死也不愿合作。 Example sentencesExamples My dream is to be a great chef, and I put that before all things While Michael was fiercely loyal in his professional and personal relationships, he had a ruthless streak and was prepared to put his career before all else. I would die before helping you destroy the human race," he said. Synonyms in preference to, rather than, sooner than, above, over, instead of Origin Old English beforan (see by, fore), of Germanic origin; related to German bevor.
随便看	cunningly cunningness cunningness Poincaré cycle Poincaré group Poincaré, Jules-Henri Poincaré map Poincaré recurrence poincaré's conjecture Poincaré's conjecture Poincaré section Poincaré sphere poincaré's recurrence Poincaré's recurrence Poincaré surface poinciana poincianas poind poindable poinded poinder Poindexter poinding poindlar poindler