Advertisement
Advertisement
precedent
[ noun pres-i-duhnt; adjective pri-seed-nt, pres-i-duhnt ]
noun
- Law. a legal decision or form of proceeding serving as an authoritative rule or pattern in future similar or analogous cases.
- any act, decision, or case that serves as a guide or justification for subsequent situations.
precedent
noun
- law a judicial decision that serves as an authority for deciding a later case
- an example or instance used to justify later similar occurrences
adjective
- preceding
precedent
- A previous ruling by a court that influences subsequent decisions in cases with similar issues.
Discover More
Other Words From
- prece·dent·less adjective
- non·prece·dent noun
- nonpre·cedent adjective
- quasi-pre·cedent adjective
Discover More
Word History and Origins
Origin of precedent1
Discover More
Idioms and Phrases
see set a precedent .Discover More
Example Sentences
Indeed, the Japanese-owned corporation has set a horrible precedent.
Roberts has shown a tendency in other political law cases to make broad pronouncements, upsetting precedent.
“A scary precedent has been set,” she told the Observer back in May.
Furthermore, being designated as a victim of a separate genocide and not a Holocaust victim is precedent-setting.
Is there any recent precedent for a reluctant but strong warrior in Republican politics?
The council, however, resolved not to indulge the king, for fear of a dangerous precedent.
The Pope replied that reconciliation with the Church was an indispensable condition precedent.
Prothero's case defied all rule and precedent, and Brodrick was not prepared with a judgment of his own.
So dangerous a precedent being once admitted, it became necessary to resort to still other expedients.
An incident of this great experiment is worth recording, as possibly affording a hint and a precedent.
Advertisement
Discover More
Related Words
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse