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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++pre·vi·ous /ˈpriːviəs/ S1 W1 AWL adjective 1 [only before noun]BEFORE having happened or existed before the event, time, or thing that you are talking about now 以前的，先前的 I’ve met him before on two previous occasions. 我以前见过他两次。 She has two children from a previous marriage. 她在前一次婚姻中生了两个孩子。 Do you have any previous experience of this type of work? 你以前有过此类工作的经验吗？ The lawyer told the judge that Kennedy had no previous convictions. 律师告诉法官肯尼迪没有犯罪前科。► see thesaurus at last2 the previous day/chapter/owner etc the one that came immediately before the one you are talking about now 前一天/前一章/前一个主人等 I had met them the previous day. 前一天我和他们见过面。 as we said in the previous chapter 正如我们在前一章所说 The trees had been planted by the previous owner. 这些树是前一位主人栽种的。3 previous to something BEFORE formal before a particular time or event 在某事物以前 There were almost no women MPs previous to 1945. 1945 年以前几乎没有女议员。n THESAURUSprevious [only before noun] used when talking about a person, thing, time etc before the one that you are talking about nowThe car’s previous owner didn’t take very good care of it.Please ignore my previous instructions.The temperature is higher than in previous years.last [only before noun] used when talking about the one that you had just before now, or the one that existed just before nowThe last apartment we lived in was much smaller than this one.Ben’s last girlfriend was a teacher.Beth broke up with her last boyfriend because he drank too much.old [only before noun] used when talking about people you knew or things you had in the past, or about things that existed in the past and have been replaced by newer thingsI never liked my old boss.I saw Phil with one of my old girlfriends.The new stadium is much bigger than the old one.He was my old maths teacher.preceding [only before noun] formal coming just before the time or thing you have just mentioned, or before the part of a book where you are nowThere were fewer crimes compared to the preceding year.The author dealt with this subject in the preceding chapters of the book. In the preceding section of the poem, Whitman is talking about how important it is to live in the present.former [only before noun] formal used to describe someone or something that used to have a particular job or position but does not anymoreher former husband the former US presidentKyoto was the former capital of Japan.ex-wife/boyfriend/soldier etc someone who used to be someone’s wife, used to be a soldier etc, but is not anymoreHer dad’s an ex-policeman.Lydia is still friends with her ex-husband.the one before the person or thing that existed before the one you have just mentionedI didn’t enjoy Spielberg’s last film but I thought the one before was all right.Each year, the convention is a little larger than the one before.

Examples from the Corpus

previous• The previous chapter examined how children learn language.• He had been in the village the previous evening and I hadn't bothered to wait up until he returned.• Of the previous four victims, three have been killed and one left paralysed.• Please ignore my previous instructions.• Andi has two children from a previous marriage.• More particularly, different aspects and different consequences of this previous moral order are identified.• Each number in the series 2 - 4 - 8 - 16 is twice as large as the previous number.• Kirsty's baby had been born the previous October, while she was still in England.• The previous owner did not take very good care of the place.• The car's previous owner didn't take very good care of it.• That way, if you have a catastrophic problem, you can restore your system to its previous state.• The study also found that garlic supplements reduced blood pressure modestly, confirming results from previous studies.• She had been diagnosed the previous summer with congestive heart failure, but for a year a new medicine worked well.• It will be faster, more versatile and user-friendly than any previous technology.• The company recorded a 50% increase in profits over the previous year.Origin previous (1600-1700) Latin praevius “leading the way”, from via “way”

pre·vi·ous adjective →n THESAURUS1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable

existed before the happened or Corpus having

previous
pre‧vi‧ous S1 W1 AC /ˈpriːviəs/

adjective

Word Family: adverb: previously; adjective: previous

Date: 1600-1700
Language: Latin
Origin: praevius 'leading the way', from via 'way'

1. [only before noun] having happened or existed before the event, time, or thing that you are talking about now:

I’ve met him before on two previous occasions.

She has two children from a previous marriage.

Do you have any previous experience of this type of work?

The lawyer told the judge that Kennedy had no previous convictions.
2. the previous day/chapter/owner etc the one that came immediately before the one you are talking about now:

I had met them the previous day.

as we said in the previous chapter

The trees had been planted by the previous owner.
3. previous to something formal before a particular time or event:

There were almost no women MPs previous to 1945.

THESAURUS

   ▪ previous [only before noun] used when talking about a person, thing, time etc before the one that you are talking about now: The car’s previous owner didn’t take very good care of it. | Please ignore my previous instructions. | The temperature is higher than in previous years.
   ▪ last [only before noun] used when talking about the one that you had just before now, or the one that existed just before now: The last apartment we lived in was much smaller than this one. | Ben’s last girlfriend was a teacher. | Beth broke up with her last boyfriend because he drank too much.
   ▪ old [only before noun] used when talking about people you knew or things you had in the past, or about things that existed in the past and have been replaced by newer things: I never liked my old boss. | I saw Phil with one of my old girlfriends. | The new stadium is much bigger than the old one. | He was my old maths teacher.
   ▪ preceding [only before noun] formal coming just before the time or thing you have just mentioned, or before the part of a book where you are now: There were fewer crimes compared to the preceding year. | The author dealt with this subject in the preceding chapters of the book. | In the preceding section of the poem, Whitman is talking about how important it is to live in the present.
   ▪ former [only before noun] formal used to describe someone or something that used to have a particular job or position but does not any more: her former husband | the former US President | Kyoto was the former capital of Japan.
   ▪ ex-wife/boyfriend/soldier etc someone who used to be someone’s wife, used to be a soldier etc, but is not any more: Her dad’s an ex-policeman. | Lydia is still friends with her ex-husband.
   ▪ the one before the person or thing that existed before the one you have just mentioned: I didn’t enjoy Spielberg’s last film but I thought the one before was all right. | Each year, the convention is a little larger than the one before.

🔑 pre·vi·ous AW

BrE

/ˈpriːviəs/

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NAmE

/ˈpriːviəs/

🔊

adjective

[only before noun]

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