previous /ˈpriːvijəs/ adjective Learner's definition of PREVIOUS
1
: existing or happening before the present time以往存在的;以前發生的 -
She has a child from a previous marriage.她在上一次婚姻中生過一個孩子。
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She has made previous attempts to quit smoking. [=she has tried to quit smoking before]她以前曾嘗試過戒煙。
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No previous [=past] experience is necessary.不需要以往的經驗。
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I can't go to the party because of a previous [=prior] engagement. [=because I agreed to be somewhere else before I knew about the party]因預先有約,我不能參加聚會了。
2
a : earlier in time or order(時間上)早先的;(順序上)前面的 -
In previous [=past] years, we always went to the beach for vacation.過去我們總去海灘度假。
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a previous album/book [=an album/book made before the current album/book]之前的專輯/圖書
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The two characters met in a previous chapter.這兩個人物在上一章中見面了。
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the previous owners of the house以前的房主
b : immediately before in time or order(時間或順序上)稍前的
previous to
somewhat formal
: before (a time, event, etc.)先於…的
— previously
adverb -
Previously, the state paid for the program.以前這個計劃是國家出錢。
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The author's new book includes some previously published material.作者新書中有些先前出版過的材料。