as in preliminary
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows
a medical assistant had done all of the prelim work before the physician even walked into the examining room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prelim
Adjective
-
Klobuchar plans to make a public announcement in the coming days, according to a person close to the senator who spoke on the condition of anonymity and described the filing as a preliminary step necessary for any candidate considering a run.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Jan. 2026 -
The Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) conducted a preliminary safety assessment of the LDR-50 last year.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Within Orthodox circles in Argentina, preparatory stages for conversion may take place in the country, but the beit din, or rabbinical court, that validates them operates in Israel.—
Juan Melamed,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Countries have been working through many of those questions at preparatory meetings, with a final session scheduled for late March.—
Annika Hammerschlag,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And many banks offer zero-percent APR cards, which typically provide cards with no interest for an introductory period of, say, 12 to 15 months.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Or head to the Bergman Bowl for introductory bowl skiing, which boasts one green run above the treeline (for more experienced beginners).—
Alison Fox,
Outside,
20 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Prelim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prelim. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
