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
At the board’s April 10, 2026, meeting, all nine Republican members preliminarily approved the materials, while the five Democrats rejected the list.
—
Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2026
Temperatures are also preliminarily expected to remain cool heading into the weekend, NWS states.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Indiana State police said the driver was preliminarily charged with felony counts of dealing and possessing a narcotic drug.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
The National Weather Service has preliminarily confirmed 50 tornadoes between April 12 and April 17 across 12 states, most of them in Illinois and Wisconsin.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
According to the report, the departments preliminarily agreed with those recommendations.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Police said the fire has been preliminarily deemed accidental.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
The truck had preliminarily been cleared and was responding to a nearby flight that had requested assistance for an unknown odor in the cockpit, a law enforcement official told CNN.
—Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
Taylor Christian Jones, 32, who has been with the police department for seven years, was arrested and preliminarily charged with battery resulting in moderate bodily injury on March 13.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 16 Mar. 2026
Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 27 Apr. 2026
Temperatures are also preliminarily expected to remain cool heading into the weekend, NWS states.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Indiana State police said the driver was preliminarily charged with felony counts of dealing and possessing a narcotic drug.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
The National Weather Service has preliminarily confirmed 50 tornadoes between April 12 and April 17 across 12 states, most of them in Illinois and Wisconsin.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
According to the report, the departments preliminarily agreed with those recommendations.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Police said the fire has been preliminarily deemed accidental.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
The truck had preliminarily been cleared and was responding to a nearby flight that had requested assistance for an unknown odor in the cockpit, a law enforcement official told CNN.
—Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
Taylor Christian Jones, 32, who has been with the police department for seven years, was arrested and preliminarily charged with battery resulting in moderate bodily injury on March 13.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preliminarily
Adverb
-
According to the source, Foxx (who is already a dad of two) was working on getting his career back in order after his medical issues, leading to his brief breakup from Huckstepp.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
Farmers like Maung Nu Sein were already grappling with low rice prices as well as soaring fuel and food costs due to the civil war and the military’s blockade of their coastal state.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
16 May 2026
Adverb
-
But the fairy godmother’s spell wore off early in Game 6, which was just 62 seconds old when Vegas went ahead to stay.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
-
So what stands out most about the Chiefs’ road ahead?—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Adverb
-
The Fan Favorite is awarded $100,000 by Sia, who has previously personally awarded the players she's loved the most.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
-
Hundreds of miles downriver from the Big Bend, in the Rio Grande Valley, wall construction has been proceeding at a rapid pace, threatening areas—a historic chapel, a wildlife refuge, a state park, the National Butterfly Center—that had previously been protected by Congress.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
Adverb
-
Fugaz moved to this location early last year—the former spot was, though somewhat unbelievable, even smaller.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
-
Musk's reusable rocket company is expected to start a roadshow aimed at marketing the deal to investors early next month, according to people familiar with the matter.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Adverb
-
The day before, the forest service responded to eight wildfire requests covering roughly 24,700 acres on Thursday.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
-
Fourteen players on its roster had never been to the postseason before; most of them had never even played for a winning team in the NHL before.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preliminarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preliminarily. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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