Prior | Mean of prior in English Dictionary

/ˈprajɚ/

• existing earlier in time
1. prior approval
2. in prior years
3. Do you have a prior history of back problems?
4. The job requires prior experience in advertising.
5. The defendant had a prior record of convictions.
6. I'm sorry, but we have a prior commitment and can't come tonight.
7. The contract was canceled without prior notice. [=the contract was canceled right away]
• more important than something else because it came first
1. We have a prior claim to the estate.
• before (a time, event, etc.)
1. Prior to dinner, photographs of the wedding party will be taken.
2. My parents were married just prior to the war.
• Noun

• a monk who is the head of a religious house or order
• a priest whose rank is just below that of an abbot
• a previous time of being arrested for or found guilty of a crime
1. The suspect has two priors for robbery. [=the suspect had been arrested/convicted twice before for robbery]