prologue

noun pro·logue \ ˈprō-ˌlȯg , -ˌläg \

variants: or less commonly prolog

|Updated on: 31 Jul 2018

Examples: prologue in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of prologue

1 : the preface or introduction to a literary work

2 a : a speech often in verse addressed to the audience by an actor at the beginning of a play

b : the actor speaking such a prologue

3 : an introductory or preceding event or development

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Examples of prologue in a Sentence

the prologue to his autobiography
unfortunately, the burglary, which he committed while still a teen, was but a prologue to a wasted life of crime

Recent Examples of prologue from the Web

Historically, employers used past accomplishments as the sole metric for compensation decisions, premised on the idea that the past is prologue.

— rebecca greenfield, latimes.com, "Your raise is now based on next year's performance," 9 July 2018
The book opens with a searing prologue, an essay that grounds us in a history that’s been frequently obscured.

— nina maclaughlin, BostonGlobe.com, "What is an Indian?," 15 June 2018
But all that was prologue to Kinner’s senior season.

— phil anastasia, Philly.com, "Kingsway's Quinn Kinner is South Jersey's senior boys' athlete of the year," 16 June 2018
Infinity War doesn’t undo Ragnarok, but positions it as a prologue to a reality where plans don’t always come to fruition and the ability to escape is finite.

— richard newby, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Boundless Potential of Thor," 6 May 2018
Placed together, the headlines are a prologue to a grim story.

— refinery29.com, "June's Mom Took Back The Night, & Then Gilead Took Her," 3 May 2018
In the film’s prologue that sees the Jets and the Sharks face off for the first time, director Robert Wise photographed his performers singing and dancing against textured and visually striking New York City locations that filled the entire frame.

— jared cowan, Los Angeles Magazine, "Every L.A. Filming Location From Grease, 40 Years Later," 15 June 2018
The book features a prologue written by former Marlins’ manager and ambassador and Hall of Famer Tony Perez in tribute to Ramirez.

— andre c. fernandez, miamiherald, "Lack of offense continues to plague Marlins as Nationals complete sweep, extend streak | Miami Herald," 27 May 2018
If past is prologue, the price change won’t inspire many people to cancel their Prime accounts.

— brian barrett, WIRED, "Is Amazon Prime Still Worth It?," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prologue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

In ancient Greek drama, the prologos (a word that means basically "speaking before") was the opening portion of the play, before the entry of the all-important chorus. It might be spoken by a single actor, maybe playing a god, who would "set the scene" for the audience. Playwrights today instead often provide the same kind of "scene-setting" information through dialogue near the play's beginning; in movies, it may appear (as in the "Star Wars" series) in the form of actual written text. In a nonfiction book, the lead-in is now usually called a preface or introduction; novels rarely provide any introduction at all. Still, prologue remains a useful word for nonliterary purposes. The saying "The past is prologue" tells us that, in real life, almost everything can be a prologue to what follows it.

Origin and Etymology of prologue

Middle English prolog, from Anglo-French prologue, from Latin prologus preface to a play, from Greek prologos part of a Greek play preceding the entry of the chorus, from pro- before + legein to speak — more at pro-, legend

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year