How to Use prior to in a Sentence

prior to

preposition
  • This interview took place prior to the end of the WGA strike.
    Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Sep. 2023
  • Daniels shared a scene from the film on X prior to its release.
    Lisa Respers France, CNN, 4 Sep. 2024
  • The highlight was the amount of rehearsals the whole team did for 30 to 40 days prior to filming.
    Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2023
  • But that was prior to some of the new models coming out on the market that had the range available.
    CBS News, 24 Sep. 2023
  • Those who take it weekly should not take their dose the week prior to the procedure.
    Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 9 July 2023
  • The above is just a short list of steps to take prior to a branding and marketing campaign.
    Susan Johnston, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2023
  • Vazquez-Gongora, who turned 18 less than a month prior to the crash, is slated to be sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison in August.
    City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
  • Chetner was not a coin collector prior to joining the club more than a year ago.
    Alexandria Alvarado, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Reminders were then sent one month after the delivery date, and one week prior to the visit.
    Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 16 July 2024
  • Revenue from Yeezy was roughly in line with the same period last year, prior to the fallout.
    Tim Loh, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2023
  • The remainder of the park will still be accessible prior to the track's opening.
    Elissa Robinson, Detroit Free Press, 3 May 2024
  • Malone had already teased a 17-second clip of the track prior to the set, and footage of their music video shoot in Joshua Tree leaked via fan accounts.
    Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 2 May 2024
  • Mesa Police said that an hour prior to Van's murder, the three men robbed a convenience store and flashed their guns at the clerk while Herrell stayed in the car.
    The Arizona Republic, 9 Feb. 2023
  • Klimek: So prior to Dr. Peters’ idea of we should count our calories and restrict them, what was weight loss like before that?
    Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 May 2024
  • The benchmark has since made a sharp recovery and is well past its level prior to last Monday’s rout.
    Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2024
  • The last time the family received word on a specific diagnosis for Williams was in the fall of 2021, prior to the start of the star’s guardianship.
    Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024
  • Why that had such a big effect on markets is that a soft landing was a very strong consensus prior to this month.
    Steven Ehrlich, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
  • Video surveillance of the home showed a hooded man wearing a face covering and a backpack prior to the killing, the sheriffs said.
    Jay Croft, CNN, 21 Oct. 2023
  • Downs has made a good impression since enrolling prior to the Sugar Bowl, getting many snaps in the spring game at safety.
    Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 26 Aug. 2023
  • First, prior to baking, the solid pieces of butter separate the layers of dough.
    Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 8 July 2023
  • This included pre-cutting pieces to size, then pre-drilling, and pre-treating them prior to transporting them to the work site.
    Kimberley Mok, Treehugger, 28 Mar. 2023
  • Four of these schools were new charters and didn't have any reporting data prior to 2023, which explains the uptick in numbers.
    Cynthia Howell, arkansasonline.com, 20 Dec. 2023
  • These four teenagers laze around the neighborhood, pulling small-time heists and oddball capers, but also mourning the loss of their friend Daniel, who took his own life prior to the start of the show.
    Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 27 Sep. 2023
  • The ship lost power and propulsion prior to crashing into the Baltimore bridge.
    Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
  • Only five have regained their freedom prior to this agreement, while two others were found dead in Gaza.
    Mike Brest, Washington Examiner, 21 Nov. 2023
  • With that said, the scale needs to be calibrated prior to the first use in order to obtain an accurate reading.
    Casey Clark, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 July 2023
  • In something of a macabre anecdote, Burgess was one of the last people to speak with Scott prior to his accidental death in February 1980.
    Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 16 Dec. 2023
  • The service module is jettisoned prior to re-entry and burns up in the atmosphere.
    William Harwood, CBS News, 21 June 2024
  • Make sure your cleaning crew is cleaning the toilet prior to vacuuming and mopping your bathroom floors.
    Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2024
  • That contradicts the multiple flood and storm alerts, along with public warnings from the National Weather Service, that were issued for the area including the Erwin plastics plant prior to the start of the workers’ last shift.
    Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN, 5 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prior to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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