variants
also prolog
1
as in prelude
a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event
unfortunately, the burglary, which he committed while still a teen, was but a prologue to a wasted life of crime
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in introduction
a short section (as of a book) that leads to or explains the main part
a brief prologue sets the scene for the story that follows
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of prologue
The Triennial is typically preceded by a prologue, taking place a year before the main exhibition.
—
News Desk, Artforum, 10 Mar. 2026
La Fontaine’s fable runs to 44 lines; after the infernal prologue, the remaining 40 sketch the fortunes of Hell’s two daughters.
—Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
Winners will be announced in a ceremony on Friday, April 17 at USC’s Bovard Auditorium, a prologue to the 31st annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, taking place April 18-19.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Then our couple from the prologue, Billie (Isabel DeRoy-Olson) and Albert (William Hope) pull up to the trading post, looking for a map.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prologue
News Desk, Artforum, 10 Mar. 2026
La Fontaine’s fable runs to 44 lines; after the infernal prologue, the remaining 40 sketch the fortunes of Hell’s two daughters.
—Jan Steyn, The Dial, 10 Mar. 2026
Winners will be announced in a ceremony on Friday, April 17 at USC’s Bovard Auditorium, a prologue to the 31st annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, taking place April 18-19.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
Then our couple from the prologue, Billie (Isabel DeRoy-Olson) and Albert (William Hope) pull up to the trading post, looking for a map.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prologue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prologue
Noun
-
For Sienna, the season was a prelude to greater things to come.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Or merely the prelude to yet more drama in the final few weeks of the season?—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
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
-
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
-
Switzerland crushed Germany in the men’s curling preliminaries, keeping a consistent lead before ending the game with a score of 8-4.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
17 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
-
The preface by historian Abul Fazl frames the work as a reconciliatory project.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 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
Noun
-
But the group and its half a dozen dancers, already performing perilous splits before breakfast, were prepping to run through the steps of the big intro to their set.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Balance transfer fee There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening.—
Ryley Amond,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prologue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prologue. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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