Meaning & use
predeceases
Last updated
“predeceases” is a form of “predecease”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitiveformal
Dies earlier than another person, especially a relative or the person who would inherit from or be inherited by them.
Grammar: Always takes an object: she predeceases her husband.
Patterns
- predecease someone
If the older sister predeceases her brother, the house passes to him.
The will says that the money goes to the children if a parent predeceases the other.
A spouse who predeceases the partner leaves the estate to them.
Word forms
| third person singular | predeceases |
|---|---|
| past tense | predeceased |
| past participle | predeceased |
| -ing form | predeceasing |
| base form | predecease |
Common combinations
- predecease a spouse
- If one partner predeceases a spouse, the pension may continue.
- predecease one's parents
- It is hard when a child predeceases her parents.
- if he predeceases me
- If he predeceases me, I inherit the farm.
- predeceased by
- She was predeceased by her husband and a son.
- beneficiary predeceases
- If a beneficiary predeceases the owner, the gift lapses.
Synonyms and how they differ
- die before
- Die before is the plain everyday phrase, whereas predecease is the formal word used in wills and notices.
- outlive
- Outlive is the mirror image, because the person who outlives another is the one who survives, while predecease describes the one who dies first.
- precede in death
- Precede in death is a more descriptive formal phrase with the same meaning but it is wordier.
Opposites
Word family
- predecease verb
- to die earlier than another
- predeceased adjective
- having died earlier than someone
- predeceasing adjective
- dying first, as in a predeceasing spouse
- decease noun
- death, used formally
Commonly confused: predeceases or precede?
predeceases vs precede
Precede means to come before in time or order and is not limited to death, while predecease is only about dying first.
Practice
A will says: 'If my husband ____ me, the house goes to my daughter.' Which verb fits?
Choose one answer.
If the husband dies before the writer, he predeceases her, so the house goes to the daughter. Survives and outlives mean the opposite, because they describe the one who lives on.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “predeceases”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.