preparatory
Americanadjective
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serving to prepare
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introductory or preliminary
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occupied in preparation
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as a preparation to; before
a drink preparatory to eating
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of preparatory
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Medieval Latin word praeparātōrius. See prepare, -tory 1
Explanation
Use the adjective preparatory when you're getting ready for something. If you spend the day cleaning your house before a big party, the work you're doing is preparatory. You can call something preparatory when it helps you prepare. A summer school class that lays the groundwork for a calculus course in the fall is preparatory, and so are a coach's words of advice before the start of a football game. High schools that specifically ready students for college work are sometimes called "preparatory schools," or "prep schools" for short. The Latin root is praeparationem, "a making ready."
Vocabulary lists containing preparatory
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: pre-
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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.
Adding to the apprehension was that Tuesday evening the graduation ceremony for Alain LeRoy Locke College Preparatory Academy was unfolding at the same time the board considered its future.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026
Preparatory discussions in Geneva, where the WTO is based, revealed that some countries -- the United States and India in particular -- were not satisfied with the proposed roadmap.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
He retired from practicing law in September 2023 and started teaching American government at West Catholic Preparatory High School that same month.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025
Other teachers, however, continue to assign homework, which introduces a new tension in the learning relationship, said 10th-grader Aaliyah Herron, 15, who is one of Bolden’s students at City Honors International Preparatory High School.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2025
By good fortune, there existed a well-known Preparatory School for boys about a mile from our house.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
