beforehand


Also found in: Thesaurus.

be·fore·hand

 (bĭ-fôr′hănd′)
adv. & adj.
1. In anticipation.
2. In advance; early.
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.

beforehand

(bɪˈfɔːˌhænd)
adj, adv (postpositive)
early; in advance; in anticipation: she came an hour beforehand.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

be•fore•hand

(bɪˈfɔrˌhænd, -ˈfoʊr-)

adv., adj.
in advance; ahead of time; in anticipation.
[1175–1225]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.beforehand - being ahead of time or needbeforehand - being ahead of time or need; "gave advance warning"; "was beforehand with her report"
early - at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time; "early morning"; "an early warning"; "early diagnosis"; "an early death"; "took early retirement"; "an early spring"; "early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties"
Adv.1.beforehand - ahead of timebeforehand - ahead of time; in anticipation; "when you pay ahead (or in advance) you receive a discount"; "We like to plan ahead"; "should have made reservations beforehand"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

beforehand

adverb in advance, before, earlier, already, sooner, ahead, previously, in anticipation, before now, ahead of time How could she tell beforehand that I was going to go out?
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

beforehand

adverb
1. Before the expected time:
Idioms: ahead of time, in advance, with time to spare.
2. Until then:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
předem
på forhånd
etukäteen
unaprijed
elõzõleg
fyrir fram
あらかじめ
미리
vnaprej
i förväg
ล่วงหน้า
sớm hơn

beforehand

[bɪˈfɔːhænd] ADVde antemano, con antelación
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

beforehand

[bɪˈfɔːrhænd] advau préalable, à l'avance
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

beforehand

advim Voraus; you must tell me beforehandSie müssen mir vorher Bescheid sagen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

beforehand

[bɪˈfɔːˌhænd] advprima, in anticipo
let me know your plans beforehand → fammi sapere i tuoi piani in anticipo
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

before

(biˈfoː) preposition
1. earlier than. before the war; He'll come before very long.
2. in front of. She was before me in the queue.
3. rather than. Honour before wealth.
adverb
earlier. I've seen you before.
conjunction
earlier than the time when. Before I go, I must phone my parents.
beˈforehand (-hand) adverb
before the time when something else is done. If you're coming, let me know beforehand.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

beforehand

مُقَدَّماً předem på forhånd vorher προκαταβολικά con antelación etukäteen précédemment unaprijed in anticipo あらかじめ 미리 van tevoren på forhånd przedtem antecipadamente заранее i förväg ล่วงหน้า daha önceden sớm hơn 预先
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

beforehand

adv. con anterioridad, con anticipación; de antemano.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in classic literature ?
These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.
This proceeding of the Indians having been plainly resolved on beforehand, as a means of preventing their being traced, I lost no time in returning to England.
Then I should be able to calculate my whole life for thirty years beforehand. In short, if this could be arranged there would be nothing left for us to do; anyway, we should have to understand that.
"To begin with, tell me," said she, "how have you watched me so closely as to be aware beforehand not only of my arrival, but even of the day, the hour, and the port at which I should arrive?"
He listened eagerly to what Lydgate had to say in dissipation of his fears, though this too was only repetition; and this moment in which Bulstrode was receiving a medical opinion with a sense of comfort, seemed to make the communication of a personal need to him easier than it had been in Lydgate's contemplation beforehand. He had been insisting that it would be well for Mr.
And his savings had been so constantly drawn upon (besides the terrible sweep of paying for Seth's substitute in the militia) that he had not enough money beforehand to furnish even a small cottage, and keep something in reserve against a rainy day.
Having attained success and an established position in the world, he had long ago forgotten this feeling; but the habitual bent of feeling reasserted itself, and dread of his own cowardice proved even now so strong that Alexey Alexandrovitch spent a long while thinking over the question of dueling in all its aspects, and hugging the idea of a duel, though he was fully aware beforehand that he would never under any circumstances fight one.
But, when they were once past the pay-place and tearing away for very life with their checks in their hands, and, above all, when they were fairly in the theatre, and seated in such places that they couldn't have had better if they had picked them out, and taken them beforehand, all this was looked upon as quite a capital joke, and an essential part of the entertainment.
"I wish to goodness they would," said the butcher; "'twould save me a wonderful deal of harass, and I could suit my customers much better if I knew beforehand -- But there!
If it should be observed, that a discretionary power, with a view to such contingencies, might be occasionally conferred upon the President, it may be answered in the first place, that it is questionable, whether, in a limited Constitution, that power could be delegated by law; and in the second place, that it would generally be impolitic beforehand to take any step which might hold out the prospect of impunity.
He must have been anxious, though no doubt he had collected beforehand on the shores of the Gauls a store of information from the talk of traders, adventurers, fishermen, slave-dealers, pirates - all sorts of unofficial men connected with the sea in a more or less reputable way.
For the second time, without the slightest apparent reason -- for the second time, without a word of warning beforehand -- Frank suddenly re-appeared at his father's cottage.