S: (v) precede, predate (come before) "Most English adjectives precede the noun they modify"
S: (v) precede, come before (be the predecessor of) "Bill preceded John in the long line of Susan's husbands"
S: (v) precede, lead (move ahead (of others) in time or space)
S: (v) precede, preface, premise, introduce (furnish with a preface or introduction) "She always precedes her lectures with a joke"; "He prefaced his lecture with a critical remark about the institution"