prelims

British

/ prəˈlɪmz, ˈpriːlɪmz /

plural noun

Also called: front matter. the pages of a book, such as the title page and contents, before the main text
the first public examinations taken for the bachelor's degree in some universities
(in Scotland) the school examinations taken as practice before public examinations

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of prelims

C19: a contraction of _{preliminaries}

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Fighters on the prelims like Wood and Jones don't get as much media attention or promotion from the UFC - and strikingly less money than their headlining peers.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

Dubois fought early in the night on the prelims in front of a lightly filled Kaseya Center - the 20,000-seat home of the Miami Heat.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025

The City prelims are scheduled for May 15 and the finals May 22.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2025

Atkins had gone an easy 24.66 during Friday’s prelims to earn the top seed into the finals while Gardley had slowed noticeably during her prelim heat and coasted to the second seed in the finals.

From Seattle Times • May 25, 2024

We only ever had two days to get reacquainted, prelims Saturday and finals on Sunday, and then there was the matter of being there to compete.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023