preliminary

noun

plural preliminaries

: something that precedes or is introductory or preparatory: such as

a

: a preliminary heat or trial (as of a race)

b

: a minor match preceding the main event (as of a boxing card)

c

: a preliminary scholastic examination

d

preliminaries plural, British : front matter

Synonyms of preliminary

• prelude

Examples of preliminary in a Sentence

a meeting to discuss seating arrangements that was merely a preliminary to the formal negotiating sessions

Recent Examples on the Web

Hernandez, now a Southern Section champion again, along with all the other winners will move onto the CIF preliminaries next Saturday to face the rest of the state's top female jumpers, with a chance to get back to the state finals. —Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026

Tennyson never made it to the Southern Section track preliminaries after winning the league title. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026

Burke's preliminary is scheduled to begin May 26. —Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026

Tickets to the mixed archery preliminary set me back $110 each, then $85 each for the mixed equestrian preliminary. —Personal Finance Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French préliminaires, plural, from Medieval Latin praeliminaris, adjective, preliminary, from Latin prae- pre- + limin-, limen threshold

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preliminary

• accretionary
• apothecary
• bicentenary
• certiorari
• concessionary
• concretionary
• confectionary
• confectionery
• constabulary
• contemporary
• deflationary
• depositary

Kids Definition

preliminary

1 of 2 noun

pre·​lim·​i·​nary pri-ˈlim-ə-ˌner-ē 

plural preliminaries

: something preliminary

preliminary

2 of 2 adjective

: coming before the main part or item : introductory

preliminarily

-ˌlim-ə-ˈner-ə-lē 

adverb

Legal Definition

preliminary

adjective

pre·​lim·​i·​nary

pri-ˈli-mə-ˌner-ē

: coming before and usually serving as a temporary or intermediate step to something

preliminary negotiations

a preliminary payment plan

preliminarily adverb

preliminary noun