preliminarily

adverb

Definition of preliminarilynext
as in earlier
so as to precede something in order of time the sick children were examined preliminarily by the nurse to determine if they had a rash

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of preliminarily County officials also preliminarily estimate around $150,000 has gone toward county staff time on the effort. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 4 Aug. 2026 However, a July 30 report from The New York Times says investigators preliminarily believe Iranian hackers were probably responsible. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Heading into the weekend, the trend is preliminarily forecasted to continue. — Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 2 Aug. 2026 Graham died Saturday at the age of 71 of what was preliminarily diagnosed as a rupture of his aorta due to a hardening of his arteries, his office said. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 14 July 2026 Coiro said that, preliminarily, it is believed a gas cylinder in the trunk may have closed the explosion. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 13 July 2026 Investigators also preliminarily had ruled out potential self-harm, CHP officials said. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 30 June 2026 Examinations conducted on site by the United States Department of Agriculture and forensic veterinarians led investigators to preliminarily determine the cause of death of many of those dogs to be gunshot wounds. — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 28 June 2026 The board, which is also known as Develop Fulton, voted Tuesday to preliminarily approve the developer’s request. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preliminarily
  1. already
  2. ahead
  3. previously
  4. early
  5. before
Adverb
  • But communities already are scrambling to store up road salt for the snowy season ahead.
    — Steve Zalusky, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Too early to tell, but the Viceroy name will, no doubt, bring Americans, who are already flooding into Portugal for vacation and often, to settle.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of already
Adverb
  • Classic tees for effortless layering, elegant slips for summer’s heat, statement skirts for a touch of drama, and playful outerwear for the season ahead.
    — Minty Mellon, Vogue, 24 Aug. 2026
  • New Florida women’s soccer coach Nick Zimmerman wasted little time signaling better days are ahead — much sooner than anyone expected.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of ahead
Adverb
  • Abbott has previously said data centers should not be built in rural Texas neighborhoods and that developers must pay their own way and provide their own water and power.
    — Jack Fink, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Immigrant advocates, medical professionals and lawmakers have previously raised concerns about conditions at the South Texas facility.
    — Laura Romero, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of previously
Adverb
  • Zelenskyy said that earlier this year the Defense Ministry had told him that SpaceX had agreed to allow Ukraine to use Starlink over Russian territory to carry out deep strike operations, subject to political approval.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • In addition, a law creating new asylum eligibility requirements, including new time limits for applying, went into effect earlier this year.
    — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of early
Adverb
  • Tuesday's Dearborn City Council meeting was not business as usual, with anti-Islam protesters gathering before and during the meeting.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • That is, again, different from last year; Glenn knew Wilks but had never worked with him before.
    — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of before

Browse Nearby Words

preliminaries
preliminarily
preliminary
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Cite this Entry

“Preliminarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preliminarily. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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