1
: earlier in time or order
2
: taking precedence (as in importance)
priorly
adverb
plural priors
1
a
: the superior ranking next to the abbot of a monastery
b
: the superior of a house or group of houses of any of various religious communities
2
US law enforcement, informal
: a previous instance of arrest or conviction for a crime
He had been told that burglary, like auto theft, rarely drew a state prison term, unless you had lots of priors.—
Joseph Wambaugh
Joseph WambaughSynonyms
Adjective
Examples of prior in a Sentence
Adjective
Do you have a prior history of back problems?
The job requires prior experience in advertising.
The defendant had a prior record of convictions.
I'm sorry, but we have a prior commitment and can't come tonight.
We have a prior claim to the estate.
Recent Examples on the WebElizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 24 June 2024
That’s no small feat in a city where the institutional gridlock can rival that of the freeway system, and particularly impressive given the fact that Bass — unlike her recent mayoral predecessors — had no prior experience in the building.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2024
Marc Schneider, Billboard, 3 May 2024
His car narrowly missed an unmarked law enforcement vehicle, which zips past less than a second prior.
—Tami Abdollah, USA TODAY, 19 May 2021
See all Example Sentences for prior 
Adjective
The Anti-Defamation League reports that antisemitic incidents were up 140% in 2023 compared to the prior year.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 24 June 2024
That’s no small feat in a city where the institutional gridlock can rival that of the freeway system, and particularly impressive given the fact that Bass — unlike her recent mayoral predecessors — had no prior experience in the building.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2024
Noun
Greene’s priors include Beautiful Digital, Crowdsurf and TikTok.
—Marc Schneider, Billboard, 3 May 2024
His car narrowly missed an unmarked law enforcement vehicle, which zips past less than a second prior.
—Tami Abdollah, USA TODAY, 19 May 2021
See all Example Sentences for prior
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prior.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near prior
Cite this Entry
“Prior.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prior. Accessed 27 Jun. 2024.
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