2 VERB If a journalist previews something such as a film, exhibition, or invention, they see it and describe it to the public before the public see it for themselves. □ [V n] He knew about the interview prior to its publication and had actually previewed the piece.
pre|vi|ous ◆◆◇ /priː viəs/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] A previous event or thing is one that happened or existed before the one that you are talking about. □ I'm a lot happier than I was in my previous job. □ He has no previous convictions.
2 ADJ You refer to the period of time or the thing immediately before the one that you are talking about as the previous one. □ It was a surprisingly dry day after the rain of the previous week.
pre|vi|ous|ly ◆◇◇ /priː viəsli/
1 ADV [usu ADV with v, oft ADV adj] Previously means at some time before the period that you are talking about. □ Guyana's railways were previously owned by private companies. □ Previously she had very little time to work in her own garden.
2 ADV [n ADV ] You can use previously to say how much earlier one event was than another event. □ He had first entered the House 12 years previously. SYNONYMS previously ADV 1
before: The war had ended only a month or so before.
once: The culture minister once ran a theatre.
formerly: He had formerly been in the Navy.
pre -wa r also prewar ADJ [usu ADJ n] Pre-war is used to describe things that happened, existed, or were made in the period immediately before a war, especially the Second World War, 1939-45. □ …Poland's pre-war leader.
prey /pre I / (preys , preying , preyed )
1 N‑UNCOUNT [with sing or pl verb, usu with poss] A creature's prey are the creatures that it hunts and eats in order to live. □ Electric rays stun their prey with huge electrical discharges. □ [+ of ] These animals were the prey of hyenas.
2 → see also bird of prey
3 VERB A creature that preys on other creatures lives by catching and eating them. □ [V + on/upon ] The larvae prey upon small aphids.
4 N‑UNCOUNT [usu with poss] You can refer to the people who someone tries to harm or trick as their prey . □ Police officers lie in wait for the gangs who stalk their prey at night.
5 VERB If someone preys on other people, especially people who are unable to protect themselves, they take advantage of them or harm them in some way. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V + on ] The survey claims loan companies prey on weak families already in debt.
6 VERB If something preys on your mind, you cannot stop thinking and worrying about it. □ [V + on ] He had been unwise and it preyed on his conscience.
price ◆◆◆ /pra I s/ (prices , pricing , priced )
1 N‑COUNT [oft in N ] The price of something is the amount of money that you have to pay in order to buy it. □ …a sharp increase in the price of petrol. □ They expected house prices to rise. □ Computers haven't come down in price.
2 N‑SING The price that you pay for something that you want is an unpleasant thing that you have to do or suffer in order to get it. □ [+ for ] We will have to pay a high price for independence.
3 VERB If something is priced at a particular amount, the price is set at that amount. □ [be V -ed + at ] The shares are expected to be priced at about 330p. □ [V n + at ] Digital priced the new line at less than half the cost of comparable mainframes. □ [V -ed] There is a very reasonably priced menu. ● pric|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ It's hard to maintain competitive pricing.
4 → see also retail price index , selling price
5 PHRASE If you want something at any price , you are determined to get it, even if unpleasant things happen as a result. □ If they wanted a deal at any price, they would have to face the consequences.
6 PHRASE If you can buy something that you want at a price , it is for sale, but it is extremely expensive. □ Most goods are available, but at a price.
7 PHRASE If you get something that you want at a price , you get it but something unpleasant happens as a result. □ Fame comes at a price.
8 to price yourself out of the market → see market
price|less /pra I sləs/
1 ADJ If you say that something is priceless , you are emphasizing that it is worth a very large amount of money. [EMPHASIS ] □ …the priceless treasures of the Royal Collection.
2 ADJ If you say that something is priceless , you approve of it because it is extremely useful. [APPROVAL ] □ They are a priceless record of a brief period in British history.
pri ce point (price points ) N‑COUNT The price point of a product is the price that it sells for. [BUSINESS ] □ No price point exists for the machine yet. □ The big companies dominate the lower price points.
pri ce tag (price tags ) also price-tag
1 N‑COUNT If something has a price tag of a particular amount, that is the amount that you must pay in order to buy it. [WRITTEN ] □ The price tag on the 34-room white Regency mansion is £17.5 million.
2 N‑COUNT In a shop, the price tag on an article for sale is a small piece of card or paper which is attached to the article and which has the price written on it.