preface
Americannoun
-
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
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an introductory part, as of a speech.
- Antonyms:
- epilogue
-
something preliminary or introductory.
The meeting was the preface to an alliance.
- Antonyms:
- epilogue
-
Ecclesiastical. a prayer of thanksgiving, the introduction to the canon of the Mass, ending with the Sanctus.
verb (used with object)
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to provide with or introduce by a preface.
-
to serve as a preface to.
noun
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a statement written as an introduction to a literary or other work, typically explaining its scope, intention, method, etc; foreword
-
anything introductory
-
RC Church a prayer of thanksgiving and exhortation serving as an introduction to the canon of the Mass
verb
-
to furnish with a preface
-
to serve as a preface to
Synonym Usage
See introduction.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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prefacesimple
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prefacessimple
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have prefacedperfect
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has prefacedperfect
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am prefacingprogressive
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are prefacingprogressive
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is prefacingprogressive
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have been prefacingperfect progressive
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has been prefacingperfect progressive
Past
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prefacedsimple
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had prefacedperfect
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was prefacingprogressive
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were prefacingprogressive
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had been prefacingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing preface
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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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.
See Examples For:
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
Fiedler’s new preface proudly noted that the original’s once outrageous contentions were now widely accepted.
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
Copernicus had no chance to complain about the preface because he died in 1543, the year his great work was published.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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
She prefaces this fact with how appreciative she is for TikTok, her new followers and Chick-Fil-A at large.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2024
As in Chaucer’s poem, she prefaces her tale with what is essentially her life story, enlisting the pub’s patrons as her many husbands and various friends and acquaintances.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2023
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
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
The Monticello we know today presents itself as a compact unity, prefaced by a classical temple front and crowned by an octagonal dome—the first domed house in America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
"But it is a natural surface out on the salt, so you never really know what conditions you're going to get," he then prefaced it with.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 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
The trial, prefaced by a Civil War snapshot that sets the action in the proper context, takes up much of the first act.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2025
“It’s just the beginning,” I prefaced, handing her the sketch pad.
From "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
“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
“I’m still alive and I’m healthy,” he said, prefacing the words with a chuckle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
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
She, too, wanted to dream up rich fictional lives in lieu of what she saw at the time as the burden of prefacing her story with an explanation of her mixed-race identity and upbringing.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2021
Zeitoun had reinvented the word “really,” prefacing a good deal of his sentences with “Really?” as a kind of throat-clearer.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
