BEFORE


Meaning of BEFORE in English

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.

Note: In addition to the uses shown below, '~' is used in the phrasal verbs ‘go ~’ and ‘lay ~’.

1.

If something happens ~ a particular date, time, or event, it happens earlier than that date, time, or event.

Annie was born a few weeks ~ Christmas...

Before World War II, women were not recruited as intelligence officers...

My husband rarely comes to bed ~ 2 or 3am.

? after

PREP

Before is also a conjunction.

Stock prices climbed close to the peak they’d registered ~ the stock market crashed.

CONJ

2.

If you do one thing ~ doing something else, you do it earlier than the other thing.

He spent his early life in Sri Lanka ~ moving to England...

Before leaving, he went into his office to fill in the daily time sheet.

? after

PREP: PREP -ing

Before is also a conjunction.

He took a cold shower and then towelled off ~ he put on fresh clothes.

CONJ

3.

You use ~ when you are talking about time. For example, if something happened the day ~ a particular date or event, it happened during the previous day.

The war had ended only a month or so ~.

ADV: n ADV

Before is also a preposition.

It’s interesting that he sent me the book twenty days ~ the deadline for my book.

PREP: n PREP n

Before is also a conjunction.

Kelman had a book published in the US more than a decade ~ a British publisher would touch him.

CONJ

4.

If you do something ~ someone else can do something, you do it when they have not yet done it.

Before Gallacher could catch up with the ball, Nadlovu had beaten him to it.

CONJ

5.

If someone has done something ~, they have done it on a previous occasion. If someone has not done something ~, they have never done it.

I had met Professor Lown ~...

She had never been to Italy ~.

ADV: ADV after v

6.

If there is a period of time or if several things are done ~ something happens, it takes that amount of time or effort for this thing to happen.

It was some time ~ the door opened in response to his ring.

= until

CONJ

7.

If a particular situation has to happen ~ something else happens, this situation must happen or exist in order for the other thing to happen.

There was additional work to be done ~ all the troops would be ready.

CONJ

8.

If someone is ~ something, they are in front of it. (FORMAL)

They drove through a tall iron gate and stopped ~ a large white villa.

PREP

9.

If you tell someone that one place is a certain distance ~ another, you mean that they will come to the first place first.

The turn is about two kilometres ~ the roundabout.

PREP

10.

If you appear or come ~ an official person or group, you go there and answer questions.

The Governor will appear ~ the committee next Tuesday.

PREP

11.

If something happens ~ a particular person or group, it is seen by or happens while this person or this group is present.

The game followed a colourful opening ceremony ~ a crowd of seventy-four thousand.

PREP

12.

If you have something such as a journey, a task, or a stage of your life ~ you, you must do it or live through it in the future.

Everyone in the room knew it was the single hardest task ~ them...

= ahead of

PREP: PREP pron

13.

When you want to say that one person or thing is more important than another, you can say that they come ~ the other person or thing.

Her husband, her children, and the Church came ~ her needs.

PREP: v PREP n

14.

~ long: see long

Collins COBUILD.      Толковый словарь английского языка для изучающих язык Коллинз COBUILD (международная база данных языков Бирмингемского университета) .