as in preliminary
coming before the main part or item usually to introduce or prepare for what follows
a medical assistant had done all of the prelim work before the physician even walked into the examining room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prelim
Adjective
-
According to a preliminary investigation, four suspects wearing hoodies and gloves used hammers to smash a display case and stole jewelry.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
14 May 2026 -
Outside of a track and field preliminary meet at Yorba Linda High on Saturday, an anti-transgender advocacy group called Save Girls’ Sports organized a protest against California policies that allow transgender athletes to compete based on their gender identity.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
It will also be used as a test-bed for long-term habitation and preparatory work for permanent bases.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
10 May 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Prepaid carriers already offer great introductory rates, but adding a double-digit discount makes this an unbeatable trial window for anyone testing out a new network.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
19 May 2026
-
Enjoy a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150.—
Andreina Rodriguez,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Prelim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prelim. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
