before

英 [bɪˈfɔː(r)]

美 [bɪˈfɔːr]

prep.  在…以前; 在…面前(或前面); (次序或排列)在前面
conj.  在…以前; 到…为止; 到…之前; 以免; 不然
adv.  以前; 过去; 已经

中考高考CET4考研

Oxford 3000 / Collins.5 / BNC.198 / COCA.219

同义词辨析

agobeforeformerlypreviously【导航词义：以前】

牛津词典

prep.

• 在…以前
  earlier than sb/sth
  1. before lunch
     午餐前
  2. the day before yesterday
     前天
  3. The year before last he won a gold medal, and the year before that he won a silver.
     他前年得了一枚金牌，大前年得了一枚银牌。
  4. She's lived there since before the war.
     她从战前起就一直住在那里。
  5. He arrived before me.
     他比我先到。
  6. She became a lawyer as her father had before her.
     像她父亲先前一样，她成了一名律师。
  7. Leave your keys at reception before departure.
     离开前请把钥匙留在服务台。
  8. Something ought to have been done before now.
     先前就该采取措施了。
  9. We'll know before long (= soon) .
     我们很快就会知道了。
  10. Turn left just before (= before you reach) the bank.
      在快到银行时向左拐。
• 在…面前（或前面）
  used to say that sb/sth is in a position in front of sb/sth
  1. They knelt before the throne.
     他们跪在御座前。
  2. Before you is a list of the points we have to discuss.
     放在你面前的是一份我们要讨论的要点清单。
• （次序或排列）在前面
  used to say that sb/sth is ahead of sb/sth in an order or arrangement
  1. Your name is before mine on the list.
     名单上你的名字在我之前。
  2. He puts his work before everything (= regards it as more important than anything else) .
     他一切以工作为重。
• （表示面临或临近）
  used to say that sth is facing sb in the future
  1. The task before us is a daunting one.
     我们面临的任务令人胆怯。
  2. The whole summer lay before me.
     整个夏季正等待着我。
• 当面
  in the presence of sb who is listening, watching, etc.
  1. He was brought before the judge.
     他被带上法庭。
  2. She said it before witnesses.
     她当着证人的面讲出这事。
  3. They had the advantage of playing before their home crowd.
     他们有在主场观众面前比赛的优势。
• （表示面对某人、某事时的反应）
  used to say how sb reacts when they have to face sb/sth
  1. They retreated before the enemy.
     面对敌人，他们撤退了。

conj.

• 在…以前
  earlier than the time when
  1. Do it before you forget.
     尽早动手，免得忘了。
  2. Did she leave a message before she went?
     她走之前留言了吗？
• 到…为止；到…之前
  until
  1. It may be many years before the situation improves.
     这种状况或许要过很多年才能得到改善。
  2. It was some time before I realized the truth.
     过了很长一段时间我才悟出真相。
• 以免；不然
  used to warn or threaten sb that sth bad could happen
  1. Put that away before it gets broken.
     把它收好，免得砸碎了。
• （宁可…而）不愿
  rather than
  1. I'd die before I apologized!
     我宁愿死也不道歉！

adv.

• 以前；过去；已经
  at an earlier time; in the past; already
  1. You should have told me so before.
     你早该告诉我的。
  2. It had been fine the week before (= the previous week) .
     前一个星期天气很好。
  3. That had happened long before (= a long time earlier) .
     那是很早以前的事了。
  4. I think we've met before.
     我觉得我们以前见过面。

柯林斯词典

In addition to the uses shown below,beforeis used in the phrasal verbs ‘go before’ and ‘lay before’.
除下列用法外，before 还可用于 go before 和 lay before 等短语动词中。

• PREP （时间上）在…之前，早于
  If something happensbeforea particular date, time, or event, it happens earlier than that date, time, or event.
  1. Annie was born a few weeks before Christmas...
     安妮出生在圣诞节前几周。
  2. Before World War II, women were not recruited as intelligence officers...
     在第二次世界大战之前，女性不能当情报人员。
  3. My husband rarely comes to bed before 2 or 3am.
     我丈夫很少在凌晨两三点之前睡觉。
  4. Beforeis also a conjunction.
     
  5. Stock prices climbed close to the peak they'd registered before the stock market crashed.
     股价几乎攀升到了股市崩盘前的历史最高位。
• PREP 在（做某事）之前
  If you do one thingbeforedoing something else, you do it earlier than the other thing.
  1. He spent his early life in Sri Lanka before moving to England...
     在移居英格兰之前，他早年是在斯里兰卡度过的。
  2. Before leaving, he went into his office to fill in the daily time sheet.
     离开前，他到自己的办公室填写了日常考勤表。
  3. Beforeis also a conjunction.
     
  4. He took a cold shower and then towelled off before he put on fresh clothes.
     他冲了个凉水澡，用毛巾擦干身子后换上了新衣服。
• ADV 在（某时间或某事）以前
  You usebeforewhen you are talking about time. For example, if something happened the daybeforea particular date or event, it happened during the previous day.
  1. The war had ended only a month or so before.
     战争大约一个月前才刚刚结束。
  2. Beforeis also a preposition.
     
  3. It's interesting that he sent me the book twenty days before the deadline for my book.
     有趣的是，他在我的书到期前20天把那本书送给了我。
  4. Beforeis also a conjunction.
     
  5. Kelman had a book published in the US more than a decade before a British publisher would touch him.
     克尔曼早在英国出版商同他接触前十多年就已经在美国出版过一本书了。
• CONJ-SUBORD 在（他人做某事）之前
  If you do somethingbeforesomeone else can do something, you do it when they have not yet done it.
  1. Before Gallacher could catch up with the ball, Nadlovu had beaten him to it.
     加拉赫还没来得及追上球，纳德洛武就已经抢先一步触到球了。
• ADV 以前；以往；过去
  If someone has done somethingbefore, they have done it on a previous occasion. If someone has not done somethingbefore, they have never done it.
  1. I've been here before...
     我以前来过这儿。
  2. I had met Professor Lown before...
     我以前见过劳恩教授。
  3. She had never been to Italy before.
     她以前从来没有去过意大利。
• CONJ-SUBORD （直到…）才；（过了…）才
  If there is a period of time or if several things are donebeforesomething happens, it takes that amount of time or effort for this thing to happen.
  1. It was some time before the door opened in response to his ring.
     他按完门铃后过了一会儿门才打开。
• CONJ-SUBORD （必须先具备某一条件）才能；在…之前（必须具备某一条件）
  If a particular situation has to happenbeforesomething else happens, this situation must happen or exist in order for the other thing to happen.
  1. There was additional work to be done before all the troops would be ready.
     在全军准备就绪之前，还有一些杂事必须处理。
• PREP （方位）在…前面，在…面前
  If someone isbeforesomething, they are in front of it.
  1. They drove through a tall iron gate and stopped before a large white villa.
     他们开车穿过一个大铁门，在一栋白色的大别墅前面停了下来。
• PREP （所经位置）在…前面
  If you tell someone that one place is a certain distancebeforeanother, you mean that they will come to the first place first.
  1. The turn is about two kilometres before the roundabout.
     拐弯就在环岛前面约2公里处。
• PREP 面对…（回答质询）
  If you appear or comebeforean official person or group, you go there and answer questions.
  1. The Governor will appear before the committee next Tuesday.
     下周二，州长将接受委员会的质询。
• PREP 当着…的面；在…注视之下
  If something happensbeforea particular person or group, it is seen by or happens while this person or this group is present.
  1. The game followed a colourful opening ceremony before a crowd of seventy-four thousand.
     绚丽多彩的开幕式过后，这场比赛在74,000名观众的瞩目之下开始了。
• PREP 摆在…面前；使面对；使面临
  If you have something such as a journey, a task, or a stage of your lifebeforeyou, you must do it or live through it in the future.
  1. Everyone in the room knew it was the single hardest task before them...
     房间里所有人都清楚，摆在他们面前的是最为艰巨的任务。
  2. I saw before me an idyllic life.
     展现在我眼前的是充满诗情画意的生活。
• PREP （重要性）超过；比…重要
  When you want to say that one person or thing is more important than another, you can say that they comebeforethe other person or thing.
  1. Her husband, her children, and the Church came before her needs.
     丈夫、孩子和教会都比她本人的需求重要。
• before long→ see:long

英英释义

adv

• earlier in time
  1. I had known her before
  2. as I said before
  3. he called me the day before but your call had come even earlier
  4. her parents had died four years earlier
  5. I mentioned that problem earlier
  Synonym:earlier
• at or in the front
  1. I see the lights of a town ahead
  2. the road ahead is foggy
  3. staring straight ahead
  4. we couldn't see over the heads of the people in front
  5. with the cross of Jesus marching on before
  Synonym:aheadin front

双语例句

• There was additional work to be done before all the troops would be ready.
  在全军准备就绪之前，还有一些杂事必须处理。
• My husband rarely comes to bed before 2 or 3am.
  我丈夫很少在凌晨两三点之前睡觉。
• The war had ended only a month or so before.
  战争大约一个月前才刚刚结束。
• He had made a date with a girl he had met the day before
  他和前一天遇到的那个女孩定下了约会。
• The Governor will appear before the committee next Tuesday.
  下周二，州长将接受委员会的质询。
• I have heard that he has been married before.
  我听说他过去结过婚。
• It was some time before the door opened in response to his ring.
  他按完门铃后过了一会儿门才打开。
• Before the wedding, I had a heart-to-heart talk with my mother.
  婚礼前，我和母亲好好谈了谈心。
• They drove through a tall iron gate and stopped before a large white villa.
  他们开车穿过一个大铁门，在一栋白色的大别墅前面停了下来。
• He took a bath and shaved before dinner
  晚餐前他洗了澡，刮了脸。