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
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Recent Examples of preliminarily
Temperatures are also preliminarily expected to remain cool heading into the weekend, NWS states.
—
Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Indiana State police said the driver was preliminarily charged with felony counts of dealing and possessing a narcotic drug.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
The National Weather Service has preliminarily confirmed 50 tornadoes between April 12 and April 17 across 12 states, most of them in Illinois and Wisconsin.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
According to the report, the departments preliminarily agreed with those recommendations.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Police said the fire has been preliminarily deemed accidental.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
The truck had preliminarily been cleared and was responding to a nearby flight that had requested assistance for an unknown odor in the cockpit, a law enforcement official told CNN.
—Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
Taylor Christian Jones, 32, who has been with the police department for seven years, was arrested and preliminarily charged with battery resulting in moderate bodily injury on March 13.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 16 Mar. 2026
At this point, TCEQ has determined, at least preliminarily, that Coontz and Frederick’s application meets state and federal requirements.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2026
Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026
Indiana State police said the driver was preliminarily charged with felony counts of dealing and possessing a narcotic drug.
—Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
The National Weather Service has preliminarily confirmed 50 tornadoes between April 12 and April 17 across 12 states, most of them in Illinois and Wisconsin.
—Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2026
According to the report, the departments preliminarily agreed with those recommendations.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Police said the fire has been preliminarily deemed accidental.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
The truck had preliminarily been cleared and was responding to a nearby flight that had requested assistance for an unknown odor in the cockpit, a law enforcement official told CNN.
—Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
Taylor Christian Jones, 32, who has been with the police department for seven years, was arrested and preliminarily charged with battery resulting in moderate bodily injury on March 13.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 16 Mar. 2026
At this point, TCEQ has determined, at least preliminarily, that Coontz and Frederick’s application meets state and federal requirements.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preliminarily
Adverb
-
SpaceX has already filed confidentially with the SEC and is reportedly expected to launch its roadshow in mid-June for an IPO that could value the company in the trillions of dollars.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
-
This was the second game of the two SEC teams' series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, and in the bottom of the second inning, Alabama was already up 3-0.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2026
Adverb
-
Any sort of elimination would obviously be a disappointment, but this dynamic core has an exciting future ahead.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The Best Outdoor Lighting Deals Read ahead to shop our favorite picks from Amazon, Pottery Barn, and Wayfair, with prices starting at just $13.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Pakistan has also raised a separate claim to the diamond previously.—
Emma Caughlan,
NBC news,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The White House previously expressed skepticism about Iran's offer.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
By the time Game 6 rolled around, Minnesota was without star Anthony Edwards, sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo and even Ayo Dosunmu, who had stepped up earlier in the series in the absence of the latter duo.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
2 May 2026
-
News of the withdrawal was reported earlier by The New York Times, Reuters and other outlets.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
2 May 2026
Adverb
-
As a result, the mid-nineteenth century witnessed a dramatic increase in the creation of posts, including among tribes that had not typically made them before.—
Glenn Adamson,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
-
What’s happening at home or internally becomes clearer than before.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preliminarily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preliminarily. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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