beforehand

[bih-fawr-hand, -fohr-]

adverb

1. in anticipation; in advance; ahead of time.

   We should have made reservations beforehand. I hope to be beforehand with my report.

beforehand

/ bɪˈfɔːˌhænd /

adjective

1. early; in advance; in anticipation

   she came an hour beforehand

Word History and Origins

Origin of beforehand¹

First recorded in 1175–1225, beforehand is from the Middle English word bifor-hand. See before, hand

Example Sentences

"You have to find out what being famous is like... a lot of people have got to go on this voyage of discovery about fame and never return to what they were beforehand," he said.

From BBC

Glennie: What made this collaboration special was precisely the fact that there wasn’t an established working relationship beforehand.

From Los Angeles Times

Investigators are also looking at social media accounts used by Robinson, according to CBS, and any signs that anyone may have known about or encouraged the shooting beforehand.

From BBC

Turkish elections are generally free on the day, though far from fair beforehand.

From BBC

In his speech beforehand, Bayrou made clear that he had his eyes set more on history rather than politics, telling MPs that it was future generations who would suffer if France lost its financial independence.

From BBC

Related Words

• earlier www.thesaurus.com
• sooner