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come before

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come before someone or something

 

1. [of persons or things in an order or a line] to be in front of or in advance of someone or something. This one comes before that one. She comes before me.

2. [for one] to present oneself in the presence of someone or a group. Thank you for coming before this committee with your testimony. The judge said I would have to come before her again next month.

3. [for an issue] to be raised before someone, a board, committee, etc.; [for an issue] to appear on the agenda of someone or a deliberative body. The matter of the broken windows came before the school board at last. The question came before the business manager.

See also: before, come

come before

v.

1. To occur sooner or earlier in a sequence than something: Easter comes before April this year. The letter B comes before the letter C.

2. To be more important than something: Playing fairly comes before winning the game.

3. To present oneself to some group: They came before the court on Wednesday, and the trial was finished by the end of the week.

See also: before, come