How to Use precedent in a Sentence

precedent

noun
Definition of precedentnext
Synonyms for precedentnext
  • The judge's ruling was based on legal precedent.
  • He says that the government will set a dangerous precedent if it refuses to allow the protesters to hold a rally.
  • The judge's ruling was based on a precedent established by an earlier decision.
  • But the precedent was set that that kind of movie could get you in.
    — Derek Lawrence, EW.com, 30 Apr. 2021
  • But the demise of precedent has long been a hallmark of the Trump era.
    — New York Times, 26 July 2022
  • There is a precedent here in moving back late in the first round.
    — Paul Dehner Jr., Cincinnati.com, 9 Apr. 2018
  • The sheer lack of precedent for what a humpback whale birth looks like.
    — National Geographic, 17 Apr. 2018
  • There was precedent for this sort of appeal, but not in the courts.
    — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, 20 Mar. 2018
  • This time, the process follows none of those precedents.
    — Journal Sentinel Staff, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Oct. 2019
  • The scale of the project has little in the way of precedent, Raynor explained.
    — Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2020
  • That will be the key marker of the deal for precedent purposes.
    — Andrew Brandt, SI.com, 10 July 2018
  • To be owned by someone just sets a bad precedent to start.
    — Peter Dawson, star-telegram, 4 Nov. 2017
  • There’s precedent for an across-the-bay leap for the district.
    — Bryn Stole, baltimoresun.com, 3 Dec. 2021
  • The picture is further muddled by the fact that there is no precedent.
    — Laura He, CNN, 31 Jan. 2024
  • And there is no guidebook, no clear precedent, about how to do that.
    — Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, 13 July 2022
  • The creation of this kind of registry is not without precedent.
    — Steven Q. Simpson, STAT, 9 June 2020
  • There is a precedent for hefty fines against the mechanics' unions.
    — Dallas News, 13 Aug. 2019
  • But this would break with both precedent and the Senate’s norms.
    — Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2020
  • The texting-suicide case set a new precedent and made headlines around the world.
    — Dana Feldman, Forbes, 22 Apr. 2022
  • Thomas seemed to take a shot at that deference to precedent by Roberts.
    — Fox News, 29 June 2020
  • Some have asked my views on the importance of legal precedent.
    — Lew Morton, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2020
  • Then there’s the sudden or strange death-of-the-leader precedent.
    — Michael Krepon, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2022
  • There is precedent for targeting the site where a pathogen enters.
    — Ben Guarino, Anchorage Daily News, 23 July 2021
  • This is not a good way to live your life and sets a bad precedent for your future endeavors.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 25 June 2021
  • And legal decisions tend to set precedent for years to come.
    — The Economist, 17 Sep. 2019
  • Yes … and also this is an award that comes with some recent precedent.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2021
  • Despite this, there is precedent that fights the use of lyrics in court proceedings.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 13 May 2022
  • What kind of precedent does that set for survivors of violence?
    — Erin Corbett, refinery29.com, 8 May 2020
  • There is precedent for this - the Ukrainians have done it before.
    — CBS News, 5 Jan. 2022
  • That would have set a new precedent and smoothed the way for Xi’s own extension.
    — Jessica Meyers, latimes.com, 24 Oct. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'precedent.' 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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