Precedence Meaning
/ˈpɹɛsɪd(ə)ns/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe state of preceding in importance or priority.
nounPrecedent.
Sentence Examples
Tom set the precedence.
Can sea-based trade take precedence over land-based trade in Algeria?
For the last seven years, I've given this fight precedence over my own life.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
Safety always takes clear ____ over speed when working in a laboratory.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Safety must always take ____ over speed when operating heavy machinery in the workplace.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French précédence (“the state of preceding, anteriority”). Morphologically precede + -ence.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] where there is then no good / For which to strive, no strife can grow up there / From faction; for none sure will claim in hell / Precedence, none, whose portion is so small / Of present pain, that with ambitious mind / Will covet more."
— 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book II, lines 30–35:
"I wrote to […] Mr. Payne, who was wholly unconscious that we were engaged on the same work, and freely offered him precedence and possession of the field till no longer wanted."
— 1885, Richard Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, volume 1, page x:
"In the city of Zenith, in the barbarous twentieth century, a family's motor indicated its social rank as precisely as the grades of the peerage determined the rank of an English family—indeed, more precisely, considering the opinion of old county families upon newly created brewery barons and woolen-mill viscounts. The details of precedence were never officially determined."
— 1922, Sinclair Lewis, “Chapter VI - III”, in Babbitt, New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., pages 74–75:
"he saw to my twelve packages on one hand while on the other he dealt with the Emir of the Sea, the harbour master, who in a green gown and yellow turban, was demanding precedence of some sort."
— 1936, Freya Stark, chapter II, in The Southern Gates of Arabia: A Journey in the Hadhramaut, New York: Dutton, page 28:
"The orderlies, only too well aware of the niceties of the colour-conscious system that prevailed, debated, then sent one of their number to ask the matron what should be done. The matron said that Cho must give precedence. He was laid on the concrete floor."
— 1938, Xavier Herbert, chapter X, in Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, published 1943, page 163:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Safety always takes clear ____ over speed when working in a laboratory.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Safety must always take ____ over speed when operating heavy machinery in the workplace.