Definitions for prior
ˈpraɪ ərpri·or

Princeton's WordNet(3.00 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. prior(adj)

   the head of a religious order; in an abbey the prior is next below the abbot

2. anterior, prior(a)(adj)

   earlier in time

Wiktionary(3.44 / 9 votes)Rate this definition:

1. prior(Noun)

   A high-ranking member of a monastery, usually lower in rank than an abbot.

   Etymology: From prior

2. prior(Noun)

   A previous criminal offense on someone's record.

   Etymology: From prior

3. prior(Noun)

   In Bayesian inference, a prior probability distribution.

   Etymology: From prior

4. prior(Adverb)

   Previously.

   The doctor had known three months prior.

   Etymology: From prior

5. prior(Adjective)

   Of that which comes before, in advance.

   I had no prior knowledge you were coming.

   Etymology: From prior

6. prior(Adjective)

   former, previous

   His prior residence was smaller than his current one.

   Etymology: From prior

Webster Dictionary(3.83 / 6 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Prior(adj)

   preceding in the order of time; former; antecedent; anterior; previous; as, a prior discovery; prior obligation; -- used elliptically in cases like the following: he lived alone [in the time] prior to his marriage

   Etymology: [OE. priour, OF. priour, prior, priur, F. prieur, from L. prior former, superior. See Prior, a.]

2. Prior(adj)

   the superior of a priory, and next below an abbot in dignity

   Etymology: [OE. priour, OF. priour, prior, priur, F. prieur, from L. prior former, superior. See Prior, a.]

Freebase(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Prior

   Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for "earlier, first", with several notable uses.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Prior

   prī′or, adj. former: previous: coming before in time.—n. the head of a priory: (in Italy) formerly a chief magistrate:—fem. Prī′oress.—ns. Prī′orāte, Prī′orship, the government or office of a prior: the time during which a prior is in office; Prior′ity, state of being prior or first in time, place, or rank: preference; Prī′ory, a convent of either sex, under a prior or prioress, and next in rank below an abbey. [L. prior, former, comp. from pro-, in front.]

British National Corpus

1. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'prior' in Adjectives Frequency: #889

How to pronounce prior?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say prior in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of prior in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of prior in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of prior in a Sentence

1. John Brennan:

   Many aspects of their conclusions are sound and consistent with our own prior findings, over the years, internal agency reviews, including numerous investigations by our office of the inspector general, found fault in the CIA's running of the program. We have acknowledged these mistakes.

2. Andrew Torba:

   We worked diligently with law enforcement and spent several weeks warning our community about this behavior and taking swift action to remove it from our platform in the weeks prior to the January 6th protest, our moderation and legal teams work tirelessly to ensure public safety. Threats of violence and illegal activity have no place on Gab.

3. Luis Patino:

   High-risk sex offenders with a current or prior conviction for lewd acts on a child under 14 are still prohibited from living within a half-mile of any K-12 school.

4. Republican McConnell:

   Due to the historic obstruction by Senate Democrats of the president's nominees and the goal of passing appropriations bills prior to the end of the fiscal year, the August recess has been canceled.

5. Joe Loveland:

   The death of Deputy Sheriff Kyle Dinkheller was a terrible tragedy, executing a 66-year-old decorated Vietnam veteran with no prior criminal record who was seriously ill at the time of the crime only compounds the tragedy.

Images & Illustrations of prior

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