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
Derived 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
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.
Two years ago, Griffin was a senior at Jackson Preparatory School, mixing baseball practice with math homework.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 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
At Brooklyn Preparatory High School last week, Diana Isern asked a group of about 20 teens in her personal-finance class to research their prospective colleges and compare price tags and graduate earnings data.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
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.
