1
as in prologue
a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event
an eruption of sectarian violence that proved to be the prelude to all-out civil war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in introduction
a short section (as of a book) that leads to or explains the main part
the musical had a brief prelude to get the audience in the proper mood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prelude
Or merely the prelude to yet more drama in the final few weeks of the season?
—
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
And anything that has occurred before is usually a prelude to positives that can’t yet be seen.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2026
As a prelude to a lunar landing, the flight was an important step in testing the flight trajectory and operations before astronauts stepped foot on the moon's surface.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Fakemink released The Boy Who Cried Terrified, a prelude to the forthcoming album, last month.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prelude
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
And anything that has occurred before is usually a prelude to positives that can’t yet be seen.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 5 Apr. 2026
As a prelude to a lunar landing, the flight was an important step in testing the flight trajectory and operations before astronauts stepped foot on the moon's surface.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Fakemink released The Boy Who Cried Terrified, a prelude to the forthcoming album, last month.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prelude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prelude
Noun
-
The preview started with the game’s prologue event, an introductory affair Horizon players have come to expect.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Anyone who watched The Handmaid’s Tale — and I’d wager that’s nearly everyone here — knows this, which is what makes its reiteration in the prologue to The Testaments so menacing.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Shortly thereafter, gaps between high and low performers began to grow at the national level, which many education scholars attribute both to the introduction of screens and the loosening of accountability.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
-
An easy hiking introduction to this park is the roughly one-mile Rim Trail that meanders along the canyon’s edge.—
Anthony Fredericks,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Tickets to the mixed archery preliminary set me back $110 each, then $85 each for the mixed equestrian preliminary.—
Personal Finance Columnist,
San Francisco Chronicle,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The hockey playoffs weren’t affected by the storm and are expected to start on March 2 with Division II preliminaries.—
Jacob Rousseau,
The Providence Journal,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The volume collects work from the last decade, each with a brief preface from the author, giving us a puncture of the present into her words of the past.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026
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The preface by historian Abul Fazl frames the work as a reconciliatory project.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Altman would follow that with more than a year of overtures to Hollywood in which executives slowly warmed to him.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2026
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Protect your energy by responding to social overtures on your schedule — not the world’s.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
What’s a bigger flex than Kim Kardashian writing the foreword to your first book?—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Her most recent, Spent Light, a novel, will be published in the US with McNally Editions in October 2026 with a foreword by Teju Cole.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prelude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prelude. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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