We use 'prior' to say something happens before another thing in time. It means earlier or previous.
I had a prior meeting before lunch.
She gave prior notice for her absence.
In religion, a 'prior' is the leader of a small monastery or priory. This is a special job for monks.
The prior led the monks in prayer.
The prior managed the monastery.
'Prior' describes things that happen before something else. It often shows that experience or knowledge came earlier.
You must have prior experience to apply.
She had prior knowledge of the test.
In legal use, 'prior' shows something that happened before and can affect current decisions or actions.
Prior convictions affect the sentence.
The prior agreement was signed last year.
In logic or thinking, 'prior' means an idea or fact known before to help understand or decide something.
This is a prior to our main argument.
We need a prior before deciding.
In statistics, a 'prior' is an initial belief about probability before seeing data. It helps update guesses with new facts.
The prior shapes Bayesian analysis.
Set a prior before new data arrives.
Rarely used as a verb, 'to prior' means to put something first or treat as more important. This is old-fashioned.
She prior'd her family over work.
They priored safety before speed.
