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# precedent

noun (a precedent, precedents); adjective (formal, rare)

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

## Everyday

1. An action or decision from the past that is used as an example or rule for what to do later. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedent/#m1)
2. (law) An earlier judgement in court that judges follow in similar cases. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedent/#m2)

### In the lessons

Used in law, history and politics: «set a precedent», «without precedent» (never happened before), «break with precedent». In everyday life, parents might worry that letting one child stay up late sets a precedent for the others.

### Examples

- If I let you stay up late, it will set a precedent. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedent/#x1)
- The judge followed a precedent from an earlier case. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedent/#x2)
- The flood was without precedent in the town's history. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedent/#x3)
- Her election as the first woman leader set a precedent. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedent/#x4)
- There is no precedent for a dog joining the school choir. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedent/#x5)
- Courts in England follow precedent. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/precedent/#x6)

### Note

Countable. Pronounced «PRESS-i-dent». Homophone-ish trap: «precedent» (an example) vs «president» (a leader). Related: unprecedented (never happened before), precede (to come before).

## On Mova

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