PRECEDENCE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does precedence mean? 

• PRECEDENCE (noun)
  The noun PRECEDENCE has 3 senses:

1. status established in order of importance or urgency

2. preceding in time

3. the act of preceding in time or order or rank (as in a ceremony)

  Familiarity information: PRECEDENCE used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PRECEDENCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Status established in order of importance or urgency

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

precedence; precedency; priority

Context example:

national independence takes priority over class struggle

Hypernyms ("precedence" is a kind of...):

high status (a position of superior status)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "precedence"):

back burner (reduced priority)

front burner (top priority)

Derivation:

precedential (having precedence (especially because of longer service))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Preceding in time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

antecedence; antecedency; anteriority; precedence; precedency; priority

Hypernyms ("precedence" is a kind of...):

earliness (quality of coming early or earlier in time)

Derivation:

precede (be earlier in time; go back further)

precedent (preceding in time, order, or significance)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of preceding in time or order or rank (as in a ceremony)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

precedence; precedency; precession

Hypernyms ("precedence" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Derivation:

precede (be the predecessor of)

precedent (preceding in time, order, or significance)

 Context examples 

It was, as may well be imagined, no easy matter among so many noted cavaliers to choose out five on either side who should have precedence over their fellows.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

In all their dealings and intercourse, Sir Walter Elliot must ever have the precedence.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

To take precedence over and countermand, thereby allowing an activity to continue despite a warning or error.

(Override, NCI Thesaurus)

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. Quinion that I had gone to move my box to Tipp's; and, bidding a last good night to Mealy Potatoes, ran away.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Nobody doubts her right to have precedence of mamma, but it would be more becoming in her not to be always insisting on it.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Charles Hayter had been at Lyme oftener than suited her; and when they dined with the Harvilles there had been only a maid-servant to wait, and at first Mrs Harville had always given Mrs Musgrove precedence; but then, she had received so very handsome an apology from her on finding out whose daughter she was, and there had been so much going on every day, there had been so many walks between their lodgings and the Harvilles, and she had got books from the library, and changed them so often, that the balance had certainly been much in favour of Lyme.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Again, it was Mary's complaint, that Mrs Musgrove was very apt not to give her the precedence that was her due, when they dined at the Great House with other families; and she did not see any reason why she was to be considered so much at home as to lose her place.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)