preface

American  

[pref-is] / ˈprɛf ɪs /

noun

prefaces plural

1. a preliminary statement in a book by the book's author or editor, setting forth its purpose and scope, expressing acknowledgment of assistance from others, etc.

   Antonyms:

   appendix

2. an introductory part, as of a speech.

   Synonyms:

   prologue, preamble

   Antonyms:

   epilogue

3. something preliminary or introductory.

   The meeting was the preface to an alliance.

   Synonyms:

   prologue, preamble

   Antonyms:

   epilogue

4. Ecclesiastical. a prayer of thanksgiving, the introduction to the canon of the Mass, ending with the Sanctus.

---

verb (used with object)

prefaces, present (3rd person singular) prefaced, past participle, past prefacing present participle

1. to provide with or introduce by a preface.

2. to serve as a preface to.

preface British  

/ ˈprɛfɪs /

noun

1. a statement written as an introduction to a literary or other work, typically explaining its scope, intention, method, etc; foreword

2. anything introductory

3. RC Church a prayer of thanksgiving and exhortation serving as an introduction to the canon of the Mass

---

verb

1. to furnish with a preface

2. to serve as a preface to

Synonym Usage

See introduction.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prefacer
  noun
• unprefaced
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• prefaces
  plural

Participles

• prefacing
  present
• prefaced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• preface
  simple
• prefaces
  simple
• have prefaced
  perfect
• has prefaced
  perfect
• am prefacing
  progressive
• are prefacing
  progressive
• is prefacing
  progressive
• have been prefacing
  perfect progressive
• has been prefacing
  perfect progressive

Past

• prefaced
  simple
• had prefaced
  perfect
• was prefacing
  progressive
• were prefacing
  progressive
• had been prefacing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will preface
  simple
• will have prefaced
  perfect
• will be prefacing
  progressive
• will have been prefacing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of preface

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin prēfātia, for Latin praefātiō “a saying beforehand,” equivalent to praefāt(us) (past participle of praefārī “to say beforehand”; see pre-, fate) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A preface is an introduction to the main text of a book, when an author or critic can write directly to the reader. A preface often describes how a book came together, like a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the final product. The preface is a place for extra context, thoughts, or even disclaimers about the text that follows. In his preface to Lyrical Ballads, the famous poet William Wordsworth wrote, “The majority of the following poems are to be considered as experiments.” In other words, “Don’t judge me too harshly!” Preface can also be used as a verb meaning "introduce." When you preface a statement with, “No offense but... ,” the person you’re talking to braces for criticism.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

preface prefaces prefaced prefacing

Pondering these points of analysis, the preface weaves in studio photographs, Kodak snaps and paintings by Jan van Eyck, Bronzino and Titian.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Aviv notes in her preface, written expressly for this book, that she has re-reported or reshaped some of the stories, paying more attention to the maternal perspective.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

There’s a chilling promise in the preface of “This Dark Night,” Deborah Lutz’s account of the life of a celebrated early-19th-century English poet and novelist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

As climate scientist Kevin Trenberth noted in the preface, the collection is designed as an ongoing effort that reflects the evolving nature of climate science.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 14, 2026

She was trying laboriously to read Mr. Douglass’s book, but was yet to get through the first page of the preface.

From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson

What I have recounted is what Segal called her ur-story, and some version of it prefaces every article written about her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

This is how New Orleans community organizer Malik Rahim prefaces the calm before “Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time” plunges into one of the deadliest storms in American history.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2025

Benedict then largely kept to his word that he would live a life of prayer in retirement, emerging only occasionally from his converted monastery for special events and writing occasional book prefaces and messages.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 31, 2022

Purcell cleverly prefaces his Haydn, and Dowland his Schumann, and if his Brahms Fourth is misguided, his Beethoven Ninth is bracingly straightforward.

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2022

The writers of books on insect behavior generally take pains, in their prefaces, to caution that insects are like creatures from another planet, that their behavior is absolutely foreign, totally unhuman, unearthly, almost unbiological.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Tuesday's hot and humid weather was prefaced by thunderstorms in the early hours, with some 29,000 lightning strikes recorded in the south, the Met Office said.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

Visitors were dazzled by color-television demonstrations and the Picturephone, an early video-calling system that prefaced technologies developed decades later.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

Elsewhere, pro-Palestinian demonstrations prefaced Italy's vital win over Israel and Spain took another step towards qualification with a big victory against Bulgaria.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025

Hopp prefaced the discussion by noting that any single survey can involve statistical flukes that make it hard to form any definitive conclusions.

From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2025

Over the past few years, when people had prefaced something they were about to say with “there’s something I want to talk to you about,” it proved to be nothing he wanted to talk about.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

“I am not prone to hyperbole. I am prone to, like, popping off a little bit. I know that,” Walz said, prefacing his argument that Americans are living in a “dangerous” time.

From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2025

Channeling Nochlin, she eschews the authoritarian language of “greatness,” prefacing many of her assertions with “to me….” She has an eye for the anecdotal aside.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2023

Merchan briefly discussed the transcript issue with jurors and Necheles proceeded to show them the correct version, prefacing her remarks with a mea culpa: “Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for that error.”

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2022

But by prefacing the note with “Hey,” and not just “Nancy,” then it is no longer rude because it’s no longer threatening.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 27, 2021

Emenike talked for a long time, often prefacing a story with “The thing you have to understand about this country is this.”

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• foreword
• preamble
• prologue