Synonyms

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.

See Examples For:

prelims

Saturday's card moved swiftly with seven of the eight fights across the prelims and main card ending inside the distance.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 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

Sitting in the Birmingham High bleachers wearing headphones before running the 400 meters at the City Section track and field prelims, 17-year-old senior Nathan Santa Cruz looks like a teenager comfortable and confident.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2025

The Southern Section prelims will be held on Saturday at four sites.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2025

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