English · Word Candidate

prior

/ˈpɹaɪ.ə/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: priors

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Coming before in order or time; earlier, former, previous.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Xảy ra trước về thứ tự hoặc thời gian

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

His prior residence was smaller than his current one.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

More important or significant.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Quan trọng hoặc đáng kể hơn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Chiefly followed by to: in advance, before, previously.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Trước khi, xảy ra sớm hơn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adverb

Examples

The doctor had known three months prior.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A prior probability distribution, that is, one determined without knowledge of the occurrence of other events that bear on it, before additional data is collected.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Phân bố xác suất được xác định trước khi có thêm dữ liệu

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “prior” mean?

Coming before in order or time; earlier, former, previous.

Is “prior” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.