preparatory to

preposition

: in preparation for

Examples of preparatory to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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But those 10 days will serve as a critical test for NASA’s giant Space Launch System (SLS) moon rocket and the Orion spacecraft, preparatory to lunar landings by Artemis III, IV, V, and beyond. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 29 Jan. 2026 The title honors Kleckner’s belief that the unfiltered, the gut-wrenching, the personal, the now, the raw are not preparatory to art, but its essential substance. Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026 The showcase is preparatory to Pacific Arts Movement’s San Diego Asian Film Festival which will return in the fall. David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024 So a necessary regime of discussion preparatory to reform is displaced by a regime of accusation and confession. David Bromwich, Harper's Magazine, 27 Oct. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of preparatory to was in 1649

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Preparatory to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preparatory%20to. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.

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