A precedent is something that precedes, or comes before. The Supreme Court relies on precedents—that is, earlier laws or decisions that provide some example or rule to guide them in the …

PRECEDENT definition: 1. an action, situation, or decision that has already happened and can be used as a reason why a…. Learn more.

PRECEDENT definition: a legal decision or form of proceeding serving as an authoritative rule or pattern in future similar or analogous cases. See examples of precedent used in a sentence.

Precedent is a judicial decision that serves as an authority for courts when deciding subsequent identical or similar cases. [1][2][3] Fundamental to common law legal systems, precedent operates under the …

Definition of precedent noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. [countable, uncountable] an official action or decision that has happened in the past and that is seen as an example or a rule …

If there is a precedent for an action or event, it has happened before, and this can be regarded as an argument for doing it again.

Precedent refers to a court decision that is considered an authority for deciding subsequent cases involving identical or similar facts, or similar legal issues.