as in introduction
a short section (as of a book) that leads to or explains the main part
a noted critic has written a short preface to her story to explain some of the historical background
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Recent Examples of preface
Writing on the seventieth anniversary of the war’s end, in the preface to his magisterial The German War (2015), Oxford’s Nicholas Stargardt described the book’s genesis a decade earlier, in 2005.
—
Chris Doyle, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2025
As for Dickinson, his starring roles in Babygirl, The Iron Claw, and Triangle of Sadness preface his take on John Lennon.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2025
Injuries weren’t the Lions’ only problem Let’s preface this section by acknowledging that the Lions’ defense was decimated by injuries before the game and then lost starting corner Amik Robertson early in the contest.
—Ted Nguyen, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
To preface, the Dodgers don't need to trade Lux.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preface
Chris Doyle, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2025
As for Dickinson, his starring roles in Babygirl, The Iron Claw, and Triangle of Sadness preface his take on John Lennon.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2025
Injuries weren’t the Lions’ only problem Let’s preface this section by acknowledging that the Lions’ defense was decimated by injuries before the game and then lost starting corner Amik Robertson early in the contest.
—Ted Nguyen, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
To preface, the Dodgers don't need to trade Lux.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 5 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preface
Noun
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When her name was called out last as part of the Sky’s pregame introductions, the franchise-record crowd of 19,496 gave a roaring ovation for the player who helped bring the team its only championship, along with her more than 2,000 assists and 3,700 points.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
8 June 2025
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My introduction into modern gaming was through Wolfenstein (1992) and the original Doom (1993).—
Joshua Lamb,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic wrote the foreword, while Van Morrison, Alice Cooper, Patti Smith and others join members of the Doors’ camp in offering commentary throughout the book.—
Gary Graff,
Billboard,
14 May 2025
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In his gorgeous first book penned by his partner Tim Johnson with a glowing foreword by Martha Stewart, readers get to revel in the thoughtful beauty of Fernando’s gardens.—
Blue Carreon,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preface. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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