1. To put the indication of time on something, such as a check or contract, which is earlier than the actual or anticipated time or instance of a business matter: In her narration, the witness tried to predate her evidence to the consternation of the jury.
2. To come before someone or something else in time: Mr. Jones predated Bruce's father by several years.
3. To establish something as being earlier relative to something else: Adriana's research concluded that the development of the bicycle as a mode of transportation predated the development of the automobile by many years.