before
conjunction
prep
adv
bɪˈfɔː
conjunction
1
earlier
than
a
particular
event
or
action
在…以前;
Say
goodbye
before
you
go.
你走之前要告别。
I
saw
her
a
few
days
before
she
died.
她去世的前几天我见过她。
2
so
that
something
does
not
or
cannot
happen
在…发生之前，以防
Put
that
money
somewhere
safe
before
it
gets
stolen.
把钱放在安全的地方，以防被人偷去。
That
dog
ought
to
be
destroyed
before
it
attacks
any
more
children.
那条狗应该杀掉，以防它再伤害更多的孩子。
Before
I
could
say
anything
more,
Holmes
had
rushed
off
towards
the
station.
没等我把话说完，霍姆斯就急匆匆离去，直奔车站了。
3
used
to
say
that
something
happens
after
a
period
of
time
…之后才
It
was
several
minutes
before
we
realised
what
was
happening.
几分钟以后我们才明白发生了什么事情。
It
will
be
a
while
before
we
know
the
results.
我们要过一会儿才能知道结果。
4
used
to
say
that
something
must
happen
in
order
for
something
else
to
be
possible
在…之前〔必须做某事〕…，之后才能
You
have
to
pass
a
test
before
you
can
get
a
licence.
你得通过考试才能拿到驾驶执照。
5
used
to
warn
someone
that
something
bad
will
happen
to
them
if
they
do
not
do
something
[口] 要不然，否则〔表示警告〕
spoken
Get
out
before
I
call
the
police!
滚出去，要不然我叫警察了！
6
used
to
emphasize
that
someone
does
not
want
to
do
something
〔宁可…〕也不愿
She
would
die
before
she
would
admit
she
was
wrong.
她死也不会承认自己有错。
prep
7
earlier
than
something
or
someone
〔时间上〕在…以前;
The
new
road
should
be
completed
before
the
end
of
the
year.
这条新公路在年底前应该完工。
Let’s
meet
at
our
house
before
the
show.
看演出前在我们家碰头吧。
Larry
arrived
home
before
me.
拉里在我之前到家。
five
minutes/two
hours
etc
before
sth
Hugh
arrived
just
five
minutes
before
the
ceremony.
休在仪式开始前五分钟才到。
before
doing
sth
I
usually
take
a
shower
before
having
my
breakfast.
我通常在吃早餐前洗个澡。
We
only
got
back
from
Scotland
the
day
before
yesterday
(=two
days
ago)
.
我们前天才从苏格兰回来。
Other
students
joined
in
the
protest,
and
before
long
(=soon)
there
was
a
crowd
of
200
or
so.
其他学生也加入了抗议队伍，不久就有 200 人左右了。
8
ahead
of
someone
or
something
else
in
a
list
or
order
〔名单或次序上〕较…为先，在…之前;
You
were
before
me
in
the
queue.
你排在我前面。
The
files
are
in
alphabetical
order,
so
B1
comes
before
C1.
文件是按字母顺序摆放的，所以 B1 在 C1 之前。
9
used
to
say
that
something
happens
where
it
can
be
watched
by
people
在…面前
Italy
will
face
Brazil
this
afternoon
before
a
crowd
of
100,000
spectators.
今天下午意大利队将在 10 万名观众面前迎战巴西队。
an
actor
who
had
performed
before
the
Queen
曾在女王面前献艺的一名演员
10
used
to
say
that
someone
or
something
comes
to
be
judged
or
considered
by
a
person
or
group
of
people
摆在…面前; 供…考虑
The
proposal
was
put
before
the
planning
committee.
该项建议已提交计划委员会审议。
11
used
to
say
that
one
thing
or
person
is
considered
more
important
than
another
〔重要性〕在…之前，比…更重要
I
put
my
wife
and
kids
before
anyone
else.
我把妻子和孩子看得比任何人都重要。
In
the
air
transport
business,
safety
must
always
come
before
profit.
在航空业中，安全必须始终放在盈利之前。
12
in
front
of
something
or
someone
[正式] 在…前面
formal
The
priest
stood
before
the
altar.
牧师站在圣坛前面。
The
sea
stretched
out
before
them.
大海展现在他们面前。
13
if
one
place
is
before
another
place
on
a
road
or
journey,
the
first
place
is
nearer
to
you
than
the
second,
so
you
will
reach
it
first
〔指一条路上的某个地方〕在〔某个地点〕前面;
The
pub
is
100m
before
the
church
on
the
right.
那家小酒馆在不到教堂 100 米处靠右手边的地方。
the
last
station
before
the
Simplon
Tunnel
辛普龙隧道之前的最后一站
14
if
there
is
a
job
or
situation
before
you,
you
will
have
to
do
the
job
or
face
the
situation
[正式] 〔工作、局面〕摆在…面前
formal
The
task
of
emptying
the
house
lay
before
us.
我们面前的任务是把房子里的东西都搬出去。
15
if
a
period
of
time
is
before
you,
it
is
about
to
start
and
you
can
do
what
you
want
during
it
[正式] 来临; 等着
formal
We
had
a
glorious
summer
afternoon
before
us
to
do
as
we
pleased.
我们有一个阳光灿烂的夏日下午做自己喜欢的事。
You
have
your
whole
life
before
you.
你有一生的时间随你享用。
adv
16
at
an
earlier
time
先前，从前，以前
Haven’t
I
met
you
before
somewhere?
我以前在哪儿见过你吧？
Never
before
had
he
seen
so
many
people
starving.
他以前从未见过这么多的人在挨饿。
She
looked
just
the
same
as
before.
她看上去就和以前一样。
17
the day/week/month etc before
the
previous
day,
week,
month
etc
前一天/一个星期/一个月等
She
was
in
Paris
last
week
and
in
Rome
the
week
before.
她上个星期在巴黎，前一个星期在罗马。
18
ahead
of
someone
or
something
else
[旧] 在前面
old use
The
king’s
herald
walked
before.
国王的传令官走在前面。