previous
/ˈpriːvijəs/
adjective
Britannica Dictionary definition of PREVIOUS
1
:
existing or happening before the present time
-
She has a child from a previous marriage.
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She has made previous attempts to quit smoking. [=she has tried to quit smoking before]
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No previous [=past] experience is necessary.
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I can't go to the party because of a previous [=prior] engagement. [=because I agreed to be somewhere else before I knew about the party]
2
a
:
earlier in time or order
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In previous [=past] years, we always went to the beach for vacation.
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a previous album/book [=an album/book made before the current album/book]
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The two characters met in a previous chapter.
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the previous owners of the house
b
:
immediately before in time or order
previous to
somewhat formal
:
before (a time, event, etc.)
— previously
adverb
-
Previously, the state paid for the program.
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The author's new book includes some previously published material.