preliminary
Other forms: preliminaries; preliminarily
Preliminary means something that comes before something else. If you want to run in the race, you have to place in the top third of the preliminary round. It can also mean "early" — the preliminary results are in, and you've won!
Preliminary is often used euphemistically, as in, "There are a few preliminaries we'll need to take care of before you start your new job. First, sign over all your worldly goods to the company, then write a letter to your family explaining that you will never see them again. All set?"
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denoting an action or event preceding or in preparation for something more important; designed to orient or acquaint with a situation before proceeding“a preliminary investigation”synonyms:
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something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows
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a minor match preceding the main eventsynonyms: prelim
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Vocabulary lists containing preliminary
The 2020 Olympic Games will begin this July in Tokyo, Japan. Learn this list of 28 words so you can keep up with each sport from start to finish.
A New York Times reporter participates in a spelling bee at a Brooklyn bar. Here are 18 words, (not the ones he had to spell) about his experience. Drawn from Test of Wits and Sobriety The New York Times, August 1. 2013
When her older brother Devon dies, fifth-grader Caitlin Smith has trouble connecting to her life in Virginia without her closest guide.