previous
adjective
pre·vi·ous
ˈprē-vē-əs 
1
: going before in time or order : prior
the previous owners
previous attempts had failed
reread the previous page
2
: acting too soon : premature
somewhat previous in his conclusion
previously
adverb
Physicists have constructed a pipette that dispenses a billionth of a trillionth of a liter, a droplet that's a thousand times as small as volumes previously achieved.
—
A. Cunningham
A. Cunningham
Previously, many mutations have been induced by harsh treatments such as X rays, UV light or chemicals.
—Kevin Struhl
Kevin Struhl
previousness
noun
Had I been capable of looking closer then, I might have asked myself why every kind of previousness miraculously survived there …
—Robyn Davidson
Robyn Davidson
Synonyms
Examples of previous in a Sentence
She has a child from a previous marriage.
The two characters met in a previous chapter.
the previous owners of the house
Recent Examples on the Web
The agreement commits the streamer to investing 20% of its previous year’s net annual turnover in France in the development and production of European and French audiovisual works.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2025
His arrival comes after his headlining performance was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and a 2022 removal of Scott from the lineup following the deadly tragedy at his Astroworld festival the previous year.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 5 Feb. 2025
Both drawings show a clear debt to Romanticism, a movement that emerged in Germany during the previous decade.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 5 Feb. 2025
Federal law enforcement sources confirmed to the New York Post that additional security protocols will be implemented in light of both the previous attack and the president's presence.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for previous 
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Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2025
His arrival comes after his headlining performance was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and a 2022 removal of Scott from the lineup following the deadly tragedy at his Astroworld festival the previous year.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 5 Feb. 2025
Both drawings show a clear debt to Romanticism, a movement that emerged in Germany during the previous decade.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 5 Feb. 2025
Federal law enforcement sources confirmed to the New York Post that additional security protocols will be implemented in light of both the previous attack and the president's presence.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for previous
Dictionary Entries Near previous
Cite this Entry
“Previous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/previous. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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previous
adjective
pre·vi·ous
ˈprē-vē-əs
previously
adverb
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