pre
e
xist
Third Person
preexists
Present Participle
preexisting
Past Tense
preexisted
Past Participle
preexisted
1
to exist before a specific event, object, or condition
transitive
- The ancient trees in the forest pre-existed the development of the new park.
- Many of the traditions celebrated today pre-existed the formalization of the holiday.
- The historical documents pre-existed the creation of the national archive.
- Artifacts discovered in the excavation pre-existed the construction of the ancient city.
- The fossils found in the strata pre-existed the ice age.
Synonyms: