prologue

noun pro·logue \ ˈprō-ˌlȯg , -ˌläg \

variants: or less commonly prolog

|Updated on: 5 Jun 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

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
If his upcoming album is great, the dalliance with Trump will be prologue.

— ta-nehisi coates, The Atlantic, "I’m Not Black, I’m Kanye," 7 May 2018
But all are just prologues in a line of work that really is more about the journey than the destination, and that’s really what matters to remember.

— vahe gregorian, kansascity, "Clash between 'George Clooney' and 'Columbo' no identity crisis in title game | The Kansas City Star," 1 Apr. 2018
Most shows would end the introductory prologue there, with all the hope left in its protagonist’s voice.

— refinery29.com, "Sweetbitter Review: Restaurant Dramedy Is New York Fantasy For The Modern Day," 1 May 2018
Oh, and some scraps of story too, as seen in the prologue video below.

— hayden dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Dark Souls: Remastered discounts, Destiny 2 expands (again), and a new game from the creator of Valiant Hearts," 27 Apr. 2018
If the past is prologue, general manager Ozzie Newsome is more likely to go with a top-flight offensive lineman, especially now that the team has bolstered its receiving corps through free agency.

— peter schmuck, baltimoresun.com, "Could Ozzie Newsome surprise Ravens fans with a first-round quarterback?," 25 Apr. 2018
Of course, the prologue to City’s title had dragged on for most of the season.

— joshua robinson, WSJ, "Manchester City Clinches Premier League Title," 15 Apr. 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