beforehand

adverb or adjective

be·​fore·​hand bi-ˈfȯr-ˌhand 

bē-

1

a

: in anticipation

b

: in advance

2

: ahead of time : early

Synonyms

• early
• inopportunely
• precociously
• prematurely
• unseasonably

Examples of beforehand in a Sentence

if you arrive beforehand, we won't be entirely prepared yet

if you get ready beforehand, you won't have to rush at the last minute

Recent Examples on the Web

Not having to vacuum beforehand does mean that the debris tray will fill up. —Anthony Karcz, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024

Get all dressed up in one of these winter date night outfits and grab a nice dinner beforehand to make a whole fancy night out of it. —Erin Reimel, Glamour, 27 Dec. 2024

In this case, establishing retribution as the motive would be very clear, because Patel has laid out beforehand that in fact is his motive. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Following Altman’s abrupt but short-lived ouster from OpenAI late last year, reports surfaced that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was not briefed beforehand. —Hayden Field, CNBC, 20 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

beforehand

adverb

be·​fore·​hand -ˌhand 

: ahead of time : in advance