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# precedence

noun (precedence — uncountable)

«precedence» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Precedence is being more important than something else, so it comes first. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/#m1)
2. (formal) Order of precedence is the order in which people or things must go, by rank or importance. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/#m2)

### In the lessons

In maths it is used for the order of operations: multiplication and division take precedence over addition and subtraction (BIDMAS/BODMAS/PEMDAS). In everyday life: safety takes precedence over fun. Phrases: «take precedence over», «give precedence to», «order of precedence».

### Examples

- Safety takes precedence over speed. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/#x1)
- In 3 + 4 × 2, multiplication takes precedence, so the answer is 11. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/#x2)
- Homework takes precedence over video games. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/#x3)
- Brackets take precedence over everything else. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/#x4)
- The guests sat in order of precedence. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/#x5)
- Emergency vehicles take precedence on the road. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/#x6)
- Health takes precedence over winning. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/#x7)
- The head teacher's rule takes precedence. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/#x8)
- She's the oldest of us all, but she takes precedence of the youngest. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/#x9)

### Note

Uncountable. Do not confuse with «precedent» (an earlier example used as a guide). In maths: 2 + 3 × 4 = 14, not 20, because × takes precedence over +.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «precedence» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedence/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«precedence» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/precedence.html) on Mova free.