1 early

2 prior

3 former

4 in advance

5 first

1 Mister (Mr.)

1 in advance

2 before the event

3 beforehand

4 prior

1 to accompany (musically)

1 to have priority

2 to take precedence

1 strike first and gain the upper hand (idiom, martial arts term); Making the first move is an advantage.

1 first decapitate then present your trophy (idiom); act first, report later

1 to gain the initiative by striking first (idiom); to preempt

2 to anticipate

3 preemptive

1 joy of first experience (idiom)

2 the pleasure of reading sth for the first time

1 peaceful measures before using force (idiom); diplomacy before violence

2 jaw-jaw is better than war-war