To precede means to come before something else in time or order. When thunder precedes lightning in your memory, you've got it backwards: lightning actually precedes thunder. When a teacher asks students to line up in alphabetical order, those whose last names start with A will precede those starting with Z.

The word applies to sequences of all kinds. In a book, Chapter 3 precedes Chapter 4. In history, the Roman Empire preceded the Middle Ages. At a formal dinner, an appetizer precedes the main course. You might notice that Monday precedes Tuesday, or that spring precedes summer.

Think of precede as establishing what came first. If your birthday precedes your friend's birthday, yours comes earlier in the year. If studying precedes success, you need to do the work before you can achieve the result.

Don't confuse precede with proceed, which means to move forward or continue. When you proceed down a hallway, you're going forward. When one thing precedes another, it comes before it.