4 days ago · previous and prior imply existing or occurring earlier, but prior often adds an implication of greater importance.

PRIOR definition: 1. existing or happening before something else, or before a particular time: 2. before a…. Learn more.

Definition of prior adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

PRIOR definition: preceding in time or in order; earlier or former; previous. See examples of prior used in a sentence.

May 8, 2026 · This adjective has no positive form; rather, it serves as the comparative (prior) and superlative (prīmus) of the preposition prae. (Compare the preposition post, with comparative …

Usage Note: Though prior usually modifies a noun that comes after it, as in prior approval, it sometimes modifies a noun for a unit of time which precedes it, as in five years prior.

A prior claim or duty is more important than other claims or duties and needs to be dealt with first. The firm I wanted to use had prior commitments.