From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprecedentpre‧ce‧dent /ˈpresɪdənt/ ●○○ AWL noun 1 [countable]SCL an action or official decision that can be used to give support to later actions or decisions a legal precedentset/create a precedent UN involvement in the country’s affairs would set a dangerous precedent.precedent for precedents for what courts will accept as ‘fair’2 [countable, uncountable]BEFORE something of the same type that has happened or existed beforeprecedent for There’s not much precedent for men taking leave when their baby is born.without precedent An epidemic on this scale is without precedent.3 [uncountable]TRADITION the way that things have always been donebreak with precedent (=do something in a new way)COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2verbsset/establish a precedentThe decision is important as it could set a legal precedent for other similar cases.create a precedentIf we allow this once, it will create a precedent.follow a precedentNow he is following a precedent set by military leaders around the world.use something as a precedentLatin America was afraid that the invasion of Panama would be used as a precedent.adjectivesa bad precedentSuch a harsh punishment would set a bad precedent.a dangerous precedent (=one that could cause problems in the future)They opposed the plan, saying it would create a dangerous precedent.an important precedentBy doing this, an important precedent was established.a legal precedent (=one that is important in law and so must be followed in legal cases)There are several legal precedents for this.
Examples from the Corpus
precedent• There are precedents on both sides of the argument.• Therefore, this could hardly be regarded as a binding precedent.• There were, of course, literary precedents for this.• We accept our responsibility not to retreat from interpreting the full meaning of the covenant in light of all of our precedents.• The unusual video arrangement will not set a presidential precedent.• The public will not be outraged if it is told that precedents will be confined to their facts.precedent for• There is no precedent for an empire as vast as that of Russia.without precedent• The protest was without precedent in a land where strikes are taboo.break with precedent• So, Major may be going for broke by breaking with precedent.From Longman Business Dictionaryprecedentpre‧ce‧dent /ˈpresɪdənt/ noun [countable] LAW an official action or decision which can be used later to support another legal decisionThe injunction on imports could set a precedent for other patent-infringement cases.Solicitors are aiming tofollow a precedent established several years ago. → see also condition precedent 