as in previous
existing at an earlier time; existing before something else
The insurance does not cover preexisting medical conditions. They made changes to the preexisting law.
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as in preceding
to go or come before in time
an advanced Mesoamerican civilization whose apex and collapse preexisted the arrival of Europeans by hundreds of years
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Recent Examples of preexisting
Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
Each time, agencies added new capabilities to a preexisting model—more onto what already existed, instead of considering it all again.
—Abigail Stuart, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The province logged its first death June 5 in a baby who got congenital measles but also had other preexisting conditions.
—Devi Shastri, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
Government officials appear to be limiting COVID shots to people who are aged 65 and older and to those who have certain preexisting health conditions—groups that have long been known to face a higher risk of developing severe COVID.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for preexisting
Adjective
The National Weather Service is in worse shape than previously known, according to interviews with current and former meteorologists, due to a combination of layoffs, early retirements and preexisting vacancies.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 2 May 2025
Each time, agencies added new capabilities to a preexisting model—more onto what already existed, instead of considering it all again.
—Abigail Stuart, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The province logged its first death June 5 in a baby who got congenital measles but also had other preexisting conditions.
—Devi Shastri, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
Government officials appear to be limiting COVID shots to people who are aged 65 and older and to those who have certain preexisting health conditions—groups that have long been known to face a higher risk of developing severe COVID.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for preexisting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preexisting
Adjective
-
This may explain the sudden shift back to the Exynos processor after Samsung went all-Snapdragon for the previous generation.—
Anshel Sag,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
-
The previous Lumière with Guillermo was a brilliant night.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
11 July 2025
Verb
-
In seven preceding episodes, Season 3 zoomed in on the insecurities, selfishness, and devious choices of a wide-ranging ensemble cast.—
Hannah Giorgis,
The Atlantic,
7 Apr. 2025
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In the weeks preceding the announcement, many families paused to evaluate how their portfolio companies may be impacted by tariffs, according to Vicki Odette, partner at Haynes Boone.—
Hayley Cuccinello,
CNBC,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s because precedent changes in small but important ways all the time.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2025
-
That’s because precedent changes in small but important ways all the time.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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That's because the initial yield of NASA's Kepler space telescope, which discovered nearly 3,000 planets in its nine years of operation, relied on worlds transiting — passing between their star and Earth.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
15 July 2025
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But xAI’s Grok took a very different route in the initial rounds of testing.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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The current lineup of Jay & The Americans has one original member, 82-year-old harmony vocalist Sandy Deane Yaguda.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 July 2025
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Similar to the original series, Shippuden’s staggering block of 500 episodes is best enjoyed interspersed with the feature films.—
Declan Gallagher,
EW.com,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preexisting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preexisting. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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