as in earlier
so as to precede something in order of time
the sick children were examined preliminarily by the nurse to determine if they had a rash
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Recent Examples of preliminarily
The Enderlin tornado was preliminarily classified as an EF-3 storm, but was recently categorized even higher, as an EF-5.
—
Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
The vehicle’s driver stayed at the scene after the collision and was cooperating with authorities, who said preliminarily neither drugs nor alcohol factored in the crash.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Saturday and Sunday are preliminarily expected to hit more seasonable highs in the 70s.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology preliminarily concluded that the pool deck started to collapse more than seven minutes before the building fell to the ground, according to the presentation released ahead of the hearing Tuesday.
—Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
In the coming weeks, if the settlement is preliminarily approved, authors will be able to search this website to confirm if their works were part of the class action and are therefore eligible for a payout.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
Two of the dead are preliminarily believed to be among those who opened fire in the crowded Taste of the City Lounge on Franklin Ave.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 17 Aug. 2025
So, the estimates for each month from April 2023 through March 2024 (the latest complete sequence) went through three estimates in the monthly cycle, and were then benchmark-revised twice more – preliminarily in August 2024, and finalized in February 2025.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office preliminarily determined his death to be a suicide.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 6 Aug. 2025
Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
The vehicle’s driver stayed at the scene after the collision and was cooperating with authorities, who said preliminarily neither drugs nor alcohol factored in the crash.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Saturday and Sunday are preliminarily expected to hit more seasonable highs in the 70s.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology preliminarily concluded that the pool deck started to collapse more than seven minutes before the building fell to the ground, according to the presentation released ahead of the hearing Tuesday.
—Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
In the coming weeks, if the settlement is preliminarily approved, authors will be able to search this website to confirm if their works were part of the class action and are therefore eligible for a payout.
—Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
Two of the dead are preliminarily believed to be among those who opened fire in the crowded Taste of the City Lounge on Franklin Ave.
—Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 17 Aug. 2025
So, the estimates for each month from April 2023 through March 2024 (the latest complete sequence) went through three estimates in the monthly cycle, and were then benchmark-revised twice more – preliminarily in August 2024, and finalized in February 2025.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
The Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office preliminarily determined his death to be a suicide.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preliminarily
Adverb
-
The council had already rejected Allied once before, months earlier, over settlements — including back wages — that the company has had to pay out to current and former employees.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Two months into the season, Barcelona already find themselves at a crucial juncture.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
At only 24 years old, there appears to be a lot more highlights ahead for the star wide receiver.—
Jon Machota,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
As OpenAI races ahead, Hollywood is scrambling to get in front of the situation.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
He has not been seen in public since March, but the investigation of his activities had not previously been disclosed by Chinese authorities.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Leaning in a more alternative direction for new music marks a shift for Jauregui, who's previously created across genres including pop, dance, Latin and beyond.—
Jack Irvin,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
As early as the 1620s, the Dutch and English settlers who established farming and fishing communities came into conflict with the remnants of Algonquian-speaking peoples.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
-
When people skip screening, doctors are less likely to catch breast cancer at earlier, more treatable stages.—
Julia Landwehr,
Health,
18 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
The council had already rejected Allied once before, months earlier, over settlements — including back wages — that the company has had to pay out to current and former employees.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The annotated text of the original Voting Rights Act is below, along with scholarship written about the act before and after its passage.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preliminarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preliminarily. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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