precede       
verb [ T ] uk/prɪˈsiːd/ us/priːˈsiːd/
C2 (指时间或空间上)处在…之前,先于
to be or go before something or someone in time or space
  Kofi Annan preceded Ban Ki-moon as the Secretary-General of the UN. 科菲•安南在潘基文之前担任联合国秘书长。 
 It would be helpful if you were to precede the report with an introduction. 你给这份报告加上一段引言会更好些。 
 Synonym: preface 
Opposites: follow (HAPPEN)succeed (FOLLOW)
 - More examples
 - This evening's talk will be preceded by a brief introduction from Mr Appleby.
 - Verbs usually precede objects in English.
 - The attacks were preceded by a period of unrest in the capital city.
 - He preceded Dennis Healey as the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
 - I'm not sure if I fully understand the sentence which precedes this one.