predate

verb

(ˌ)prē-ˈdāt How to pronounce predate (audio)
Definition of predatenext
as in to precede
to go or come before in time gunpowder predated the invention of the gun by several centuries

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 predate Local politician Mohamed Mustafa described the divisions as predating the summer's border crisis. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 Panay is known as an effusive onstage showman, making product launches a flashy, intimate affair that feels closer to Apple’s past legendary showcases than to the overwhelming Amazon events that predated him. — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026 The facility has been operating since 1839, when Jerusalem was still part of the Ottoman Empire, predating the founding of Israel by more than a century. — Dov Lieber, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 The clusters of leaning stone pillars are estimated to predate the rise of ancient Egypt by a thousand years. — Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for predate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predate
precede
Verb
  • In contrast, a learner that assumes the world has shape, persistent objects, agents with goals, causes that precede effects and space with paths through it only needs enough data to locate things within that structure.
    — Charles Yeomans, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Susan was perfectly content to spend hours beside the water with her daughter—a welcome relief for a woman who’d spent so much of the preceding years caring for other people.
    — Jenn Sinrich, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of precede

Browse Nearby Words

predaceous
predate
predated
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Cite this Entry

“Predate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predate. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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