WordGarden.ioere
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ˈeə/
US
- /ˈɛr/
Meanings
Conjunction
before a stated event happens
Preposition
before a stated time or point
Beyond the definition
"Ere" is an old and poetic way of saying "before." You will not hear it in normal modern conversation, but you may see it in classic literature, older poems, songs, or writing that wants an ancient tone. It usually works just like "before." Imagine a hero saying, "I must reach the gates ere the sun sets!" The meaning is simply that he must arrive before sunset, but the word gives the line a more historical and dramatic feel.
"Ere" is an old-fashioned word meaning "before." It can work as a preposition or a conjunction, depending on the sentence. It comes from Old English and was once a normal part of the language. Today, it mostly survives in poetry, songs, classic literature, and writing that wants to sound old, formal, or dramatic.
In older texts, you will see it used to mark time or sequence. A phrase like "ere dawn" means "before dawn," and "ere I sleep" means "before I sleep." You may also meet the fixed phrase "ere long," which means "before long" or "soon." These uses are not common in everyday English now, but they still appear in literary or stylized writing.
You probably will not use "ere" in daily emails or casual speech, but recognizing it helps a lot when reading older English. It is a small word, yet it can quickly give a sentence the feeling of another time. When writers choose it, they usually want the line to sound poetic, ancient, or richly formal.
Examples
- 1
Advice
Think carefully ere you speak.
- Usage
old-fashioned or literary; modern English usually uses "before"
- 2
Travel narrative
The sun had set ere they reached the village.
- 3
Fixed phrase
Ere long, the news spread through the whole town.
- Phraseere long
before long; soon
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- ere