predate

• 动词，表示某事物在时间上早于另一事物存在或发生。也指（动物）捕食。

A verb used to indicate that something existed or occurred before something else in time.

1. To exist earlier thanB2formal

   To occur or exist before something else in time.

   早于

   • The ancient ruins predate the Roman Empire by several centuries.
   • This custom predates written history.
   • The fossils predate the earliest known human settlements.

   同义词antecedeantedatecome beforeprecede

   反义词followpostdatesucceed

2. To come before in orderB2formal

   To precede something in a sequence or arrangement.

   先于

   • The introduction predates the main argument in the essay.
   • The first chapter predates the detailed analysis.
   • The initial draft predates the final version by a month.

   同义词antecedeantedatecome beforeforegoprecede

   反义词followpostdatesucceed

3. To prey on or huntB2formalscientific

   To hunt, kill, or feed on other animals.

   捕食

   • Lions predate on zebras and other herbivores.
   • Some birds predate on insects and small rodents.
   • The predator predates on weaker members of the herd.

   同义词catcheatfeed onhuntkill

4. To assign an earlier dateC1formalscientific

   To establish or claim that something existed or occurred earlier than previously thought.

   定年早于实际

   • The archaeologist predated the artifact by carbon dating.
   • New evidence predates the manuscript to the 12th century.
   • The researcher predated the discovery to a much earlier period.

   同义词antedatebackdate

   反义词postdate