precedence

priority in time, order, or importance; the right to precede others on formal occasions

Not to be confused with:

precedents – previous cases or legal decisions taken as a guide or justification for subsequent cases; example, model, pattern, standard

prec·e·dence

(prĕs′ĭ-dəns, prĭ-sēd′ns) also prec·e·den·cy (prĕs′ĭ-dən-sē, prĭ-sēd′n-sē)

1. The fact, state, or right of coming before in time, order, or position: Applications arriving first will receive precedence in processing.

2. Priority claimed or received because of greater importance: The prospect of big investment returns took precedence over limiting risk.

3. A ceremonial order of rank or preference, especially as observed on formal occasions: Recipients of military honors were called in order of precedence—highest ranking officers first.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

precedence

(ˈprɛsɪdəns) or

precedency

1. the act of preceding or the condition of being precedent

2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the ceremonial order or priority to be observed by persons of different stations on formal occasions: the officers are seated according to precedence.

3. a right to preferential treatment: I take precedence over you.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

prec•e•dence

(ˈprɛs ɪ dəns, prɪˈsid ns)

n.

1. the act or fact of preceding.

2. the right to be dealt with or placed before others; priority in order, rank, or importance.

3. the order of rank to be observed in ceremonies, as by diplomatic protocol.

[1475–85]

precedence

1. communications--A designation assigned to a message by the originator to indicate to communications personnel the relative order of handling and to the addressee the order in which the message is to be noted. Examples of communication precedence from most immediate to least are flash, immediate, priority, and routine.
2. reconnaissance--A letter designation, assigned by a unit requesting several reconnaissance missions, to indicate the relative order of importance (within an established priority) of the mission requested.
3. evacuation--The assignment of a priority for medical evacuation that is based on patient condition, advice of the senior medical person at the scene, and the tactical situation. See also flash message; immediate message; priority message; routine message.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	precedence - status established in order of importance or urgency; "...its precedence as the world's leading manufacturer of pharmaceuticals"; "national independence takes priority over class struggle" precedency, priority high status - a position of superior status back burner - reduced priority; "dozens of cases were put on the back burner" front burner - top priority; "the work was moved to the front burner in order to meet deadlines"
	2.	precedence - preceding in time antecedence, antecedency, anteriority, precedency, priority earliness - quality of coming early or earlier in time
	3.	precedence - the act of preceding in time or order or rank (as in a ceremony) precession, precedency activity - any specific behavior; "they avoided all recreational activity"

precedence

noun priority, lead, rank, preference, superiority, supremacy, seniority, primacy, pre-eminence, antecedence the strict order of precedence in which the guests took their place

take precedence over take priority over, outweigh, come before, supersede, prevail over Have fun at college, but don't let the fun take precedence over the work.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

precedence

noun

The act, condition, or right of preceding:

antecedence, precedency, priority, right of way.

Translations

أسْبَقِيَّه، أولَوِيَّه، حَق التَقَدُّم

přednost

fortrinsret

forgangur

precedence

[ˈpresɪdəns] N (in rank) → precedencia f; (in importance) → prioridad f
in order of precedence (= rank) → por orden de precedencia; (= importance) → por orden de prioridad
to take precedence over sth/sb → tener prioridad/precedencia sobre algo/algn
this question must take precedence over all others → este asunto tiene prioridad con respecto a todos los demás
they give precedence to people with language skills → le dan prioridad a la gente con idiomas

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

precedence

[ˈprɛsɪdəns] n → préséance f
to take precedence over → avoir la préséance sur
order of precedence → ordre des préséances

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

precedence

n (of person) → vorrangige Stellung (over gegenüber); (of problem etc) → Vorrang m (→ over vor +dat); to take or have precedence over somebody/something → vor jdm/etw Vorrang haben; to give precedence to somebody/something → jdm/einer Sache Vorrang geben; the guests entered the hall in order of precedence → die Gäste betraten die Halle in der Reihenfolge ihres (gesellschaftlichen) Rangs; dukes have precedence over barons → Herzöge stehen im Rang höher als Barone

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

precedence

[ˈprɛsɪd/əns] n (in rank) → precedenza; (in importance) → priorità
to take precedence over sb/sth → avere la precedenza su qn/qc

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

precede

(priˈsiːd) verb

to go, happen etc before. She preceded him into the room.

precedence (ˈpresidəns) noun

(the right of) going before in order of importance etc. This matter is urgent and should be given precedence over others at the moment.

ˌprecedent (ˈpresidənt) noun

a past action, especially a legal decision, which may act as a guide or rule in the future.

preˈceding adjective

on the preceding page.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Gilmore returned to us a year later he assisted the design of these pages, at my request, by writing the Narrative which appears early in the story under his name, and which, though first in order of precedence, was thus, in order of time, the last that I received.

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Cadwallader was strong on the intended creation of peers: she had it for certain from her cousin that Truberry had gone over to the other side entirely at the instigation of his wife, who had scented peerages in the air from the very first introduction of the Reform question, and would sign her soul away to take precedence of her younger sister, who had married a baronet.

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All the world is built upon the system that each one of us shall have to yield precedence to some other one, as well as to enjoy a certain power of abusing his fellows.

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Seeing himself placed next the Priest, and noting the ceremony, and thinking himself --being Captain of a ship --as having plain precedence over a mere island King, especially in the King's own house --the Captain coolly proceeds to wash his hands in the punch bowl; --taking it i suppose for a huge finger-glass.

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The Knight of the White Moon replied that it was a question of precedence of beauty; and briefly told him what he had said to Don Quixote, and how the conditions of the defiance agreed upon on both sides had been accepted.

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Casson, who, too much occupied with the question of precedence, had not hitherto noticed his entrance.

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Justice, for instance, is a virtue, and so necessary to society, that all others must yield her the precedence.

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It was of course amongst these that the most frequent disputes for precedence occurred.

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We have to confess, to the disgrace of our hero and of floriculture, that of his two affections he felt most strongly inclined to regret the loss of Rosa; and when, at about three in the morning, he fell asleep overcome with fatigue, and harassed with remorse, the grand black tulip yielded precedence in his dreams to the sweet blue eyes of the fair maid of Friesland.

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Nevertheless, after mature consideration, it has appeared to me that the question of the projectile must take precedence of that of the cannon, and that the dimensions of the latter must necessarily depend on those of the former."

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Accordingly, when the Saturday night came, and we were all waiting in the warehouse to be paid, and Tipp the carman, who always took precedence, went in first to draw his money, I shook Mick Walker by the hand; asked him, when it came to his turn to be paid, to say to Mr.

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There was some hesitation among them, each offering the other precedence. At last they went up slowly, in the order, though not at all in the manner, of their flying descent; followed Miss Wilson into the class-room; and stood in a row before her, illumined through three western windows with a glow of ruddy orange light.

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