Home / Words / precedeNo. 0255

precede

/prɪˈsiːd//prɪˈsiːd/·verb
to come or go before something else in time or order
Fig. 1 — The rooster throws its head back and crows into a sky the sun hasn't touched yet.
01Definition

To precede is to come before — to go ahead of something else in time, order, or rank. From Latin praecedere, 'to go in front', it names a pure relationship of before-and-after: the flash precedes the thunder, a warning precedes the storm, the introduction precedes the argument. What precedes is often a sign of what follows, which is why a forerunner lets us anticipate the main event. Take care not to confuse precede (to go before) with proceed (to go forward) — one letter apart, opposite in feel.

02In use
  • iA low tremor often precedes an eruption, giving the villagers a few minutes to anticipate it.
  • iiIn the usual sequence, a sharp drop in pressure precedes the storm.
  • iiiThe chapters that precede the conclusion lay out all of its groundwork.
03Collocations
  • precede the event
  • immediately preceded by
  • the preceding chapter
  • precede in time

Family preceding (adjective) · precedent (noun) · precedence (noun)

04Relations

=come before, predate, antecede, lead, head

≠follow, succeed, trail

05Compared
PairThe difference
precede vs proceedwhat comes first precedes; what keeps going proceeds. Spelling: -cede versus -ceed.
06TOEFL & IELTS

A precise sequencing verb for TOEFL/IELTS reading and for structuring your own writing ('the preceding paragraph'). The adjective preceding and the noun precedent are both common. The classic trap is the split with proceed — precede means to go before, proceed means to carry on — so read exam options slowly.

07Asked
When does something take precedence, and when does it set a precedent?
Precedence is priority — what ranks first: safety takes precedence over speed. A precedent is a prior example that guides later cases: the ruling set a precedent. One is an order, the other an object. The plural trap is acoustic: precedents sounds exactly like precedence, so 'legal precedents' and 'legal precedence' must be told apart by grammar, not by ear.
Do precede and proceed mean opposite things?
Near enough to trap — precede goes before, proceed goes onward, one prefix apart; the full split, spelling rule included, is on the precede vs proceed page in the 'Compared' list above.
In 'A is preceded by B', which comes first?
B — and this reversal is the phrase's whole difficulty. Actively, B precedes A: the flash precedes the thunder. Passively, the order of mention flips while the order of time holds: thunder is preceded by lightning. The scene above keeps it straight: the day is preceded by the crowing, which goes out into the dark long before the sun answers. In exam reading and listening, pause on the phrase and ask who is doing the preceding.
Is 'precedented' a word, or only unprecedented?
Precedented exists — dictionaries record it — but it almost never leaves the shed, because events with precedents rarely need announcing. Unprecedented does the family's heavy lifting: never seen before, without prior example. Its inflation is worth noticing: strictly it claims that no precedent exists anywhere, which is why careful writers save it for genuine firsts rather than mere surprises.
What is the difference between preceding and previous?
Preceding means immediately before — the preceding paragraph is the one directly above this sentence. Previous only means earlier: a previous paragraph could sit anywhere upstream. The same split runs through their partners: following is the immediate next, later is anywhere downstream. When precision about adjacency matters — contracts, methods sections — preceding is the exact tool.