Showing results for pre-existing. Search instead for pre-existed.

pre-existing

British

adjective

occurring or existing previously

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

pre-existence noun

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Following a highly successful Rugby World Cup last year, supporter numbers in the UK climbed from 7.94m pre-existing fans of women's rugby to 13.21m, according to research commissioned by BBC Sport.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Another consideration before you step onto a cruise ship, boat or train: Most standard travel-insurance policies do not cover pre-existing medical conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

There is only one other known case of burrowing bees nesting inside a cave, and none where bees used pre-existing fossil structures without altering them.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

What some people might not notice is each of those acquired players had a pre-existing relationship with a coach on the Seahawks’ coaching staff.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

It is easy to say that our world has been made by science or by technology, but scientific and technological progress depend on a pre-existing assumption, the assumption that there are discoveries to be made.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023