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
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
At this point, TCEQ has determined, at least preliminarily, that Coontz and Frederick’s application meets state and federal requirements.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2026
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
At this point, TCEQ has determined, at least preliminarily, that Coontz and Frederick’s application meets state and federal requirements.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preliminarily
Adverb
-
The Seattle Seahawks have already hit three of their biggest needs in the 2026 NFL Draft, taking Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price on Thursday night in Round 1 and TCU safety Bud Clark and Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal in the second and third rounds on Friday.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
China’s discovery of a new form of entertainment—one already worth billions of dollars—has put it on a collision course with the incumbents in Hollywood.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Coulombe struck out Austin Wells for the second out, but from there Cora gave the ball to righty Greg Weissert, who allowed the go-ahead two-run pinch hit single to Cody Bellinger and then another RBI single to Judge to put New York ahead 4-2.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Go ahead, tell yourself the Nuggets are better.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Pakistan has also raised a separate claim to the diamond previously.—
Emma Caughlan,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The White House previously expressed skepticism about Iran's offer.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Rodman doubled the lead early in the second half, marking her 100th appearance for the Spirit with her first goal of the season.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Pohlkamp signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Barracuda earlier Friday.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Nataliia Khodymchuk’s last evening at home was like many that had come before.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
This event highlights the powerful connection between the Mobil™ brand and the high-performance world of the VCARB Formula One™ team, bringing fans closer to the action than ever before.—
Mobil™ Fuels,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preliminarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preliminarily. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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