preliminary

American  

[pri-lim-uh-ner-ee] / prɪˈlɪm əˌnɛr i /

adjective

1. preceding and leading up to the main part, matter, or business; introductory; preparatory.

   preliminary examinations.

   Synonyms:

   prefatory

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noun

• preliminaries
  plural

1. something preliminary, as an introductory or preparatory step, measure, contest, etc..

   He passed the preliminary and went on to the finals.

2. a boxing match or other athletic contest that takes place before the main event on the program.

   A preliminary was fought at 8:00.

3. a preliminary examination, as of a candidate for an academic degree.

4. Printing. preliminaries, front matter.

preliminary British  

/ prɪˈlɪmɪnərɪ /

adjective

1. (usually prenominal) occurring before or in preparation; introductory

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noun

1. a preliminary event or occurrence

2. an eliminating contest held before the main competition

Synonym Usage

Preliminary, introductory both refer to that which comes before the principal subject of consideration. That which is preliminary is in the nature of preparation or of clearing away details which would encumber the main subject or problem; it often deals with arrangements and the like, which have to do only incidentally with the principal subject: preliminary negotiations. That which is introductory leads with natural, logical, or close connection directly into the main subject of consideration: introductory steps.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preliminarily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• preliminaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of preliminary

First recorded in 1650–60; from French prélimin(aire) and New Latin praelīmināris ( see pre-, liminal) + -ary

Explanation

Preliminary means something that comes before something else. If you want to run in the race, you have to place in the top third of the preliminary round. It can also mean "early" — the preliminary results are in, and you've won! Preliminary is often used euphemistically, as in, "There are a few preliminaries we'll need to take care of before you start your new job. First, sign over all your worldly goods to the company, then write a letter to your family explaining that you will never see them again. All set?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

preliminary preliminaries

Investigators are still probing the accident but a preliminary report in April pointed to communication failures and a lack of proper equipment.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Woodland Hills hit 111 degrees, breaking the previous record of 109 set in 1981, according to the weather service’s preliminary records.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

For now, the company’s robotics financial targets remain preliminary as it builds up production and develops its commercial team.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Nepal's foreign minister says preliminary reports show it may have been caused by an earthquake triggering an avalanche, which lead to flash floods.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

In the week’s holiday after preliminary training, before the probationer year began, she had stayed with her uncle and aunt in Primrose Hill and had resisted her mother on the telephone.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Nine university students entered the preliminaries this year, wrestling bulls weighing hundreds of kilograms and sporting hard, stubby horns.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

She was one of two runners from the school to qualify for the CIF Southern Section Division I preliminaries.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

Renoir stopped making preparatory studies between 1865 and 1875 when, like his Impressionist colleagues Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley and Camille Pissarro, he worked directly from the motif, without preliminaries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025

As the preliminaries drew to a close, Mike’s friends gradually started coming upstairs to join him.

From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2024

In bed we went through the preliminaries, plumping our pillows, yawning.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• exploratory
• preparatory
• prior