came before
Arrived there first
Came before means to precede in time, order, or rank: The Renaissance came before the Enlightenment.
It also describes appearing formally in an authority or body: The case came before the Supreme Court, He came before the judge on theft charges.
The phrase can suggest priority or superiority: Family always came before work for her.
- precedeCome or go first
- anteriorSituated toward the front
- causeWhat produces an effect
- antecedentSomething that precedes
- priorExisting before another
front · senior · progenitor · old guard · instigator · predate · prefigure · bygone · back in the day · once upon a time · days of yore · forerunner · ahead · erstwhile · precursor · catalyst · earlier · foremost