come before (someone or something)
(redirected from come before you)come before (someone or something)
1. To happen or exist before someone or something else. We have to thank the generations that came before us for their hard work in establishing this organization. I can never remember which verse comes before the bridge. Wait, your birthday comes before David's? Wow, why did I think it wasn't till the fall?
2. To formally present oneself to another person or group. Due to your inappropriate actions, you will have to come before a disciplinary committee. Ugh, it was brutal to have to come before the boss and admit I lost that important file. That school is really intense. I had to come before a whole group of teachers and basically interview for a spot in their incoming class.
3. To be more important than something else; to be prioritized over something else. I'm constantly reminding my kids that schoolwork comes before any social events. I know we have a lot to get through in this meeting, but discussing the next print issue comes before anything else. You're running a fever, which means you really need to stay home and rest. Your health should come before anything else.
4. To be a topic of discussion or deliberation for a person or group. When will my petition finally come before the local officials? You've got to get on the agenda if you want these issues to come before the school board. Our complaints will never come before the mayor unless we protest outside of City Hall!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
come before someone or something
1. [of persons or things in an order or a line] to be in front of or in advance of someone or something. This one comes before that one. She comes before me.
2. [for one] to present oneself in the presence of someone or a group. Thank you for coming before this committee with your testimony. The judge said I would have to come before her again next month.
3. [for an issue] to be raised before someone, a board, committee, etc.; [for an issue] to appear on the agenda of someone or a deliberative body. The matter of the broken windows came before the school board at last. The question came before the business manager.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
come before
v.
1. To occur sooner or earlier in a sequence than something: Easter comes before April this year. The letter B comes before the letter C.
2. To be more important than something: Playing fairly comes before winning the game.
3. To present oneself to some group: They came before the court on Wednesday, and the trial was finished by the end of the week.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.