How to Use precedence in a Sentence

precedence

noun
Definition of precedencenext
Synonyms for precedencenext
  • The song and the production took precedence over the artists.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2021
  • And that’s when the tacos took precedence over the barbecue.
    — Bob Carlton | [email protected], al, 2 Feb. 2023
  • The lords would sit in the middle, in order of precedence, their sons and wives to the side.
    — Catherine Ostler, Town & Country, 24 Feb. 2022
  • The idea that Travis used the Zola ad to troll Swifties has precedence.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 June 2024
  • In such cases, the needs of the land, if not the planet, must take precedence.
    — Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2024
  • The passing game might need to take precedence against the Bruins.
    — Steve Kroner, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Nov. 2021
  • For 10 long years, affairs of state took precedence over affairs of the heart.
    — CBS News, 9 Aug. 2022
  • When your kid gets sick, taking them to the doctor will take precedence over your need to go to the gym.
    — Cori Ritchey, Men's Health, 3 Jan. 2023
  • When the cost of housing must take precedence over the cost of healthy food, medicine, heat or fuel.
    — Richard Besser, ABC News, 30 July 2021
  • As in all sports, the safety of our players must take precedence above all else.
    — CBS News, 31 Oct. 2023
  • The aggressor’s rights do not take precedence over the rights of its victims.
    — Lawrence H. Summers, Foreign Affairs, 15 June 2023
  • Head-to-head result will take precedence for teams tied in the loss column.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2020
  • In the six months since, a new buzzword has taken precedence: habits.
    — Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2021
  • Taking care of kids and a job might take precedence over tidiness.
    — David Oliver, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2023
  • The real animals around her—on her farms, and the hardy Herdwick sheep up in the hills—took precedence.
    — Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2022
  • But the title wasn’t enough to take precedence over his talent, and his plans to stay behind the scenes quickly changed.
    — Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2022
  • At the same time, your duties to your own child do take precedence over your concerns for the children of others.
    — Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2023
  • Or did the immediate threat to all the children who might be born with H.I.V. take precedence?
    — Michael Specter, The New Yorker, 7 June 2021
  • No squabbling between Betty and me about what takes precedence, the side dishes or the lamb.
    — John Kass, chicagotribune.com, 1 May 2021
  • Strength and conditioning will take precedence in the first phase.
    — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 4 Apr. 2022
  • In many instances, the size of the book shelf and available space will take precedence over the number of shelves when deciding what’s best for you.
    — Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Nov. 2023
  • The constitution of Bhutan sets out a prince taking precedence over a princess.
    — Town & Country, 14 June 2023
  • If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that our health should take precedence.
    — Joseph Lustberg, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2022
  • What’s going to take precedence: my life or my shelter?
    — Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2021
  • The two were seen making out backstage at the Golden Globes, after all, so there is precedence.
    — Alyssa Bailey, ELLE, 12 Mar. 2023
  • There may also be change of control clauses in contracts that will take precedence over the process.
    — Sharon Heaton, Forbes, 1 July 2022
  • On some days sick kids are the priority, and work and clients take precedence on others.
    — Georgann Yara, The Arizona Republic, 6 May 2021
  • For them, doing the right thing took precedence over cashing out the winning ticket.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 25 May 2021
  • Dig deep, ask experts and let your intelligence take precedence over feelings.
    — Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2024
  • In teams where people enjoy each other’s company, common goals take precedence over any one person’s goals.
    — Lisa D. Foster, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'precedence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: