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previous

adjective
pre·​vi·​ous | \ ˈprÄ“-vÄ“-É™s How to pronounce previous (audio) \

Definition of previous

1 : going before in time or order : prior the previous owners previous attempts had failed reread the previous page
2 : acting too soon : premature somewhat previous in his conclusion
Other Words from previous Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about previous

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Other Words from previous

previously adverb
Physicists have constructed a pipette that dispenses a billionth of a trillionth of a liter, a droplet that's a thousand times as small as volumes previously achieved. — A. Cunningham Previously, many mutations have been induced by harsh treatments such as X rays, UV light or chemicals. — Kevin Struhl
previousness noun
Had I been capable of looking closer then, I might have asked myself why every kind of previousness miraculously survived there … — Robyn Davidson

Choose the Right Synonym for previous

preceding, antecedent, foregoing, previous, prior, former, anterior mean being before. preceding usually implies being immediately before in time or in place. the preceding sentence antecedent applies to order in time and may suggest a causal relation. conditions antecedent to the revolution foregoing applies chiefly to statements. the foregoing remarks previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance. a child from a previous marriage a prior obligation former implies always a definite comparison or contrast with something that is latter. the former name of the company anterior applies to position before or ahead of usually in space, sometimes in time or order. the anterior lobe of the brain

Examples of previous in a Sentence

She has a child from a previous marriage. The two characters met in a previous chapter. the previous owners of the house
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Recent Examples on the Web

 The game made even more history as more than 30,000 fans attended the Etihad, completely smashing the previous record of 5,265 when Arsenal won the league last year at Brighton's Amex Stadium. — Luis Miguel Echegaray, SI.com, "Historic Manchester Derby Smashes Crowd Record as Women's Super League Opens New Season," 7 Sep. 2019 The company had no previous experience in procuring E-rate funds, Lassiter's lawyer confirmed to the Courier Journal. — Alfred Miller, ProPublica, "How Kentucky Gambled for Hundreds of Millions of Dollars From a Broadband Program It Didn’t Qualify for," 4 Sep. 2019 This mistrust can stem from all sorts of things, including previous negative experiences with doctors or concerns that health care or governmental institutions do not care about their best interests. — Scientific American, "How Misinformation Spreads—and Why We Trust It," 3 Sep. 2019 Like Zelenskiy, a newcomer in politics, none of the Servant of the People lawmakers have previous experience in parliament. — Washington Post, "Ukraine’s new parliament approves top Cabinet officials," 1 Sep. 2019 Her previous experiences with mechanics left her skeptical and unwilling to believe what she was being told. — Georgann Yara, azcentral, "Keeping customers safe has driven Whitey’s Auto Repair for more than 50 years," 1 Sep. 2019 Event’ Officials are said to be monitoring the beaches on Friday to ensure the whales — one or two of which may be debilitated by the previous stranding — don’t strand themselves again. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "5 Whales Die After Stranding Themselves on Hawaii Beach with 5 Other Whales," 30 Aug. 2019 Her previous experience included time as an intern in the 2012 Romney campaign and a job as a fitness instructor. — Katie Rogers, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump’s personal assistant shared intimate details of first family," 30 Aug. 2019 Her previous work experience included time as an intern on Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign and at a job as a fitness instructor. — Katie Rogers, New York Times, "Trump’s Personal Assistant, Madeleine Westerhout, Shared Intimate Details of First Family," 30 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'previous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of previous

1621, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for previous

Latin praevius leading the way, from prae- pre- + via way — more at way

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More Definitions for previous

previous

adjective
How to pronounce previous (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of previous

: existing or happening before the present time
: earlier in time or order
: immediately before in time or order

See the full definition for previous in the English Language Learners Dictionary

previous

adjective
pre·​vi·​ous | \ ˈprÄ“-vÄ“-É™s How to pronounce previous (audio) \

Kids Definition of previous

: going before in time or order : preceding No previous experience is needed.

Other Words from previous

previously adverb

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More from Merriam-Webster on previous

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with previous

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for previous

Spanish Central: Translation of previous

Nglish: Translation of previous for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of previous for Arabic Speakers

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