before
She arrived before me.
She arrived at an earlier time than I did.
at or during a time earlier than the present or the time in question
Finish your homework before dinner.
Complete your homework prior to having dinner.
It had been raining all day before the sun came out.
The rain persisted throughout the day until the sun appeared.
Used to indicate a time sequence or precedence. Can function as a preposition, conjunction, or adverb.
in front of
The car stopped before the red light.
The car came to a halt in front of the traffic signal.
Primarily used as a preposition in this sense, indicating spatial position.
Collocations
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Preposition vs. Conjunction
Use 'before' as a preposition for nouns/pronouns (e.g., 'before lunch') and as a conjunction for clauses (e.g., 'before I left').
Gold Rule
Time Sequence
When indicating time, 'before' always implies that the action or event in the main clause occurs after the time referenced by 'before'.
Word Origin
Old English 'beforan', from 'be-' (by, near) + 'foran' (before, in front of); related to Old High German 'bifora' and Old Norse 'fyrir'.
Usage Notes
As a conjunction, 'before' introduces a subordinate clause indicating time or sequence. As a preposition, it shows position in space or time relative to another point. As an adverb, it refers to a prior time or position.