noun🔗ShareAn act in the past which may be used as an example to help decide the outcome of similar instances in the future.""The judge relied on legal precedents from similar cases to decide the verdict in this trial." "lawpoliticsgovernmenthistoryChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareA decided case which is cited or used as an example to justify a judgment in a subsequent case."The teacher looked at precedents from past years to decide if she should give the students extra credit on the final exam. "lawgovernmentpoliticshistoryChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareAn established habit or custom."Our family has many holiday precedents, like eating pizza on Christmas Eve and watching a specific movie every Thanksgiving. "culturesocietylawpoliticshistoryChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗Share(with definite article) The aforementioned (thing)."The school implemented new rules for student behavior based on the precedents established last year, hoping to create a fairer system. "lawpoliticsgovernmenthistoryChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareThe previous version."My older sister's good grades set high precedents for me in school. "lawpoliticsgovernmenthistoryChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
noun🔗ShareA rough draught of a writing which precedes a finished copy."The lawyer kept several precedents of common contract clauses in a binder to quickly draft new agreements. "writinglanguageChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verb🔗ShareTo provide precedents for."The judge's ruling in this case precedents how similar disputes will be handled in the future. "lawgovernmentpoliticshistoryChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
verb🔗ShareTo be a precedent for."The principal's decision to allow students to wear hats on Fridays precedents a possible change to the school's overall dress code. "lawpoliticsgovernmenthistoryChat with AIVocabulary GamePractice Reading
