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Definition of preliminary
preliminaries
: something that precedes or is introductory or preparatory: such asa : a preliminary scholastic examinationb preliminaries plural, British : front matterc : a preliminary heat or trial (as of a race)d : a minor match preceding the main event (as of a boxing card)
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Examples of preliminary in a Sentence
a meeting to discuss seating arrangements that was merely a preliminary to the formal negotiating sessions
Recent Examples of preliminary from the Web
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Other than their performance, the pianists’ biggest interaction with the public is at the announcement of which competitors will advance to the three rounds after the preliminaries.
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INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana swimmers Blake Pieroni and Veronica Burchill put themselves in position to make the world team in 100-meter freestyle preliminaries today at the Phillips 66 National Championships.
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That’s what McConnell is doing now, having skipped the preliminaries.
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Preliminaries: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.
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In the 200-meter dash preliminaries, Ferdig and Cara Johnson of MICDS finished in a dead heat at 25.8 seconds.
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Both had done well in the preliminaries (obviously), but there was not much fire this time, even in a work such as Prokofiev’s Sonata No.
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Redemption came on his final throw in preliminaries, which nobody could touch in the final round.
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The Tahoma girls 4×100 relay team of sister Aliya, Alisha and Tierra Wilson, along with Olivia Ribera, broke the all-time state record in the event for the second time this season, in the preliminaries on Friday.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preliminary'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of preliminary
French préliminaires, plural, from Medieval Latin praeliminaris, adjective, preliminary, from Latin prae- pre- + limin-, limen threshold
preliminary
Definition of preliminary
: coming before and usually forming a necessary prelude to something else preliminary studies preliminary results
Examples of preliminary in a Sentence
Preliminary findings show that the drug could help patients with skin cancer.
The team was eliminated in the preliminary round of the tournament.
research that is preliminary to the study
Recent Examples of preliminary from the Web
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A preliminary trial of growing oyster eggs to test healthy water conditions has been under way at Tuna Harbor at the foot of G Street, which is where the new system will be installed. ‘
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The stakes are always high during this preliminary section of a ball.
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Musk has had preliminary talks with the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, but no concrete plan have yet emerged.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not restricted any approved uses, and preliminary risk assessments for clothianidin and thiamethoxam, released this year, concluded that most uses are safe for pollinators.
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A preliminary study released this week concluded that students who switched to private schools using the state's voucher system were likely to experience an initial drop in math scores before rebounding academically over time.
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Under the preliminary deal, state employees would be required to chip in more for retirement and health care.
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But just six months later, in response to a lawsuit from opponents, a preliminary court decision abruptly halted tolling.
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The findings, though preliminary, call into question years of economic research and the decisions of dozens of states and cities to bump their wage floors up.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preliminary'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of preliminary
1657
PRELIMINARY Defined for English Language Learners
preliminary
playDefinition of preliminary for English Language Learners
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: something that comes first in order to prepare for or introduce the main part of something else
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: a game that is played before the main part of a competition to decide which players or teams will be allowed to continue playing
preliminary
Definition of preliminary for English Language Learners
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: coming before the main part of something
PRELIMINARY Defined for Kids
Definition of preliminary for Students
preliminaries
: something that comes before the main or final part The athletes competed in the preliminaries.
Definition of preliminary for Students
: coming before the main or full part I won the preliminary round. The preliminary results are promising.
Law Dictionary
preliminary
Legal Definition of preliminary
: coming before and usually serving as a temporary or intermediate step to something preliminary negotiations a preliminary payment plan
preliminarily
adverbpreliminary
nounLearn More about preliminary
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See words that rhyme with preliminary Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for preliminary Spanish Central: Translation of preliminary Nglish: Translation of preliminary for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of preliminary for Arabic speakers
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