How to Use precedence in a Sentence

precedence

noun
  • Is there precedence for transness in Greek myth?
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 23 June 2026
  • In the end, acting took precedence.
    — Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Taking care of kids and a job might take precedence over tidiness.
    — David Oliver, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2023
  • Something has to take precedence.
    — Monique Wilson, Glamour, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Talk takes precedence over action.
    — Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • The song and the production took precedence over the artists.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2021
  • There [are] a lot of other things that have taken precedence.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 21 Nov. 2025
  • As in all sports, the safety of our players must take precedence above all else.
    — CBS News, 31 Oct. 2023
  • Head-to-head result will take precedence for teams tied in the loss column.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2020
  • In such cases, the needs of the land, if not the planet, must take precedence.
    — Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2024
  • There are times when work takes precedence and moments when life outside work must come first.
    — Bala Sathyanarayanan, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
  • The lords would sit in the middle, in order of precedence, their sons and wives to the side.
    — Catherine Ostler, Town & Country, 24 Feb. 2022
  • Instead, the section of a plane takes precedence.
    — Joey Skladany, Travel + Leisure, 7 June 2026
  • When the cost of housing must take precedence over the cost of healthy food, medicine, heat or fuel.
    — Richard Besser, ABC News, 30 July 2021
  • When your kid gets sick, taking them to the doctor will take precedence over your need to go to the gym.
    — Cori Ritchey, Men's Health, 3 Jan. 2023
  • That means older water rights take precedence.
    — Alan Gionet, CBS News, 27 June 2026
  • The passing game might need to take precedence against the Bruins.
    — Steve Kroner, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Nov. 2021
  • The aggressor’s rights do not take precedence over the rights of its victims.
    — Lawrence H. Summers, Foreign Affairs, 15 June 2023
  • While that is still the case to an extent, fatherhood takes precedence.
    — Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2025
  • The intense rush of precedence rides against Prescott, in other words.
    — Vince Langford, star-telegram.com, 31 May 2017
  • But sometimes the methods seem to take precedence over the questions.
    — Dean Mobbs, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2019
  • For 10 long years, affairs of state took precedence over affairs of the heart.
    — CBS News, 9 Aug. 2022
  • What is precedence without the people?
    — Jerald “coop” Cooper, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Before the rules were changed in 2012, male heirs took precedence.
    — Sylvia Hui, The Seattle Times, 23 Apr. 2018
  • Strength and conditioning will take precedence in the first phase.
    — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 4 Apr. 2022
  • Slugging takes precedence with that makeup.
    — Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 21 Feb. 2026
  • The movie’s tight production schedule meant the ship’s look took precedence.
    — Tim Grierson, Popular Mechanics, 20 Dec. 2019
  • The idea that Travis used the Zola ad to troll Swifties has precedence.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 June 2024
  • Sadly, and as usual, greed takes precedence over logic.
    — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2025
  • With the moon in your sign, emotions run high and relationship themes take precedence.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'precedence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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