as in preliminary
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows
a preparatory investigation to see if there is enough evidence to warrant bringing charges
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Recent Examples of preparatory
Najib was the only one of the defendants who was arrested and present in person in court Sunday for a preparatory session in the trial, which will continue next month.
—
Ghaith Alsayed, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The Czech power company ČEZ signed a deal on Friday with Rolls-Royce SMR on preparatory work for the British company to build the first small modular nuclear reactor in the Czech Republic.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Because the images rotate at a screen-saver pace, my advice would be to focus on the preparatory drawings and cartoons, which are like sparks thrown off some great, beautiful machine.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
That vision also includes preparatory work, through robotic landings in the general region of the lunar south pole, targeted to happen as often as once a month starting in 2027.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preparatory
Ghaith Alsayed, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The Czech power company ČEZ signed a deal on Friday with Rolls-Royce SMR on preparatory work for the British company to build the first small modular nuclear reactor in the Czech Republic.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Because the images rotate at a screen-saver pace, my advice would be to focus on the preparatory drawings and cartoons, which are like sparks thrown off some great, beautiful machine.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
That vision also includes preparatory work, through robotic landings in the general region of the lunar south pole, targeted to happen as often as once a month starting in 2027.
—Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for preparatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preparatory
Adjective
-
The National Weather Service said tornadoes had been confirmed in mostly rural areas southwest of Chicago, with some preliminary reports of buildings damaged in Streator, a manufacturing and farm city about 100 miles away.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
-
This was a preliminary, phase one clinical trial, so there was still a long way to go to confirm that this approach really could achieve what its inventors hoped—stopping an invader dead in its tracks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
The introductory styles will be released in early August.—
Kate Nishimura,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
-
Gansey will hold his introductory news conference Monday at Philadelphia's training complex in Camden, New Jersey.—
Pat Gallen,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preparatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preparatory. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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