have/take precedence over

idiom

somewhat formal
: to be more important (than something else)
When it comes to making health care decisions, the patient's preference should take precedence.
often + over
The safety of the children has/takes precedence over everything else.

Examples of have/take precedence over in a Sentence

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That legal philosophy — that national security interests take precedence over individual liberties — is likely what the Trump administration is banking on to deport students for participating in pro-Palestinian protests. Abdallah Fayyad, Vox, 27 Mar. 2025 The Children’s Pool is the habitat of sea lions and those animals take precedence over any human inconvenience. U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2025 Together, the cases exemplify a growing trend in which U.S. political and corporate actors attempt to undermine foreign regulatory authority by pressing the case that domestic U.S. law and corporate protections should take precedence over sovereign policies globally. Camille Grenier, The Conversation, 21 Mar. 2025 Federal law also remains a critical factor—if a company is subject to federal drug testing requirements, such as the Department of Transportation's regulations for commercial drivers, those requirements would take precedence over state law. Alonzo Martinez, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for have/take precedence over

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“Have/take precedence over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/have%2Ftake%20precedence%20over. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

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