as in priority
the right to one's attention before other things considered less important
his merchandise order takes precedence because we received it first
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of precedence
With that precedence, the senior screening committee—which includes Hall-of-Famers, media members and historians—ultimately felt like seven strong seasons was enough to be etched into football lore.
—
Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Sadly, and as usual, greed takes precedence over logic.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
The learning curve for young catchers can be severe and the defensive part of the job takes precedence.
—David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Strategic projects take twice as long to implement because no one is quite sure which priorities take precedence.
—Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precedence
Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Sadly, and as usual, greed takes precedence over logic.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
The learning curve for young catchers can be severe and the defensive part of the job takes precedence.
—David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Strategic projects take twice as long to implement because no one is quite sure which priorities take precedence.
—Brent Gleeson, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precedence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for precedence
priority
Noun
-
Having already drawn billions of dollars and resources, leaders at the company claimed the Metaverse was a priority for the tech giant in late 2022, even as AI grew in prominence.—
Rashi Shrivastava,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
The first priority was to keep Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy out of the room, rather than have the three-way meeting that Trump — to his credit — was suggesting.—
Marc Champion,
Twin Cities,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Precedence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/precedence. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share