How to Use preparatory in a Sentence

preparatory

adjective
  • There is a lot of preparatory work involved in teaching.
  • The new moon in Aries puts you in preparatory mode.
    — Usa Today, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
  • But this warehouse is more than just a preparatory staging ground.
    — Jordan Cutler-Tietjen, sacbee, 6 July 2018
  • A lot of my preparatory work is always a focus on the structure of the film.
    — Patrick Frater, Variety, 14 Sep. 2023
  • But sometimes any preparatory measures may be to little or no avail.
    — Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 1 Apr. 2023
  • Richie sent him out with host Ryan Seacrest to do a little preparatory singing.
    — al, 17 Feb. 2020
  • Over nine years, about $800 million had been spent on preparatory work for the plant.
    — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, 31 Aug. 2017
  • But copies of the work, as well as a cartoon, or preparatory drawing, of the two kings, survive.
    — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Oct. 2022
  • The other woman is in the preparatory course and hasn't yet made it to the assessment phase.
    — Lolita C. Baldor, Star Tribune, 15 July 2021
  • But preparatory measures for most of the night’s guest list were already well underway.
    — Eliza Huber, refinery29.com, 5 May 2020
  • There are now some preparatory tools that were not previously available.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Its plan is to take an even harder look at grade point averages in core, college-preparatory classes.
    — Ron Lieber, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2020
  • 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
  • The team will first play a preparatory series in Sri Lanka which begins in two weeks’ time.
    — Dominic Fifield, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
  • In his book, Hind says that there was no preparatory drawing for Naked Woman.
    — Tony Tetro, Town & Country, 22 Nov. 2022
  • The first time around takes time because there is a lot of preparatory work to do, but much of that work will also apply to other smartphones.
    — Peter Sayer, PCWorld, 1 May 2017
  • These preparatory movements then become habits that are carried out in a weaker form even when the action is suppressed.
    — Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Once again, since the Holocaust was not a subject of these preparatory talks, there was no reason to include them in my book.
    — Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 9 Nov. 2022
  • The funds covered some preparatory work to ensure the buildings in greater stages of decay would be safe enough for the public to enter.
    — Gregory Tejeda, Post-Tribune, 8 June 2017
  • Lead white should have been used in the preparatory ground layers and in the white paint, but only minimal quantities were present.
    — Quartz, 22 May 2021
  • The review team is in the preparatory stages of the study, which is expected to take 12 weeks, Driscoll said.
    — John Hilliard, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2018
  • The closest thing to an elite preparatory institution in my hometown was the Catholic school.
    — James Poniewozik, New York Times, 5 Aug. 2019
  • The company, made up of dancers ages 16 to 20, is a preparatory program for young dancers from all over the world.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2023
  • Asheville School is a co-ed, college preparatory boarding and day school for students in grades 9 through 12.
    — charlotteobserver, 5 June 2017
  • The school is a free, private, college preparatory elementary and middle school for young men in Louisville.
    — Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 10 Dec. 2019
  • Salem Academy is a college preparatory day and boarding school for girls in grades 9 through 12.
    — Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2021
  • The school also launched a preparatory program for Arabic speakers from East Jerusalem.
    — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Aug. 2023
  • They were discovered during preparatory work for road construction.
    — CBS News, 28 Dec. 2025
  • Attend an elite preparatory high school Elite high schools send a high percentage of their student body to Ivy League schools.
    — Scott Behrens, USA TODAY College, 26 Apr. 2017
  • Countries have been working through many of those questions at preparatory meetings, with a final session scheduled for late March.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'preparatory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: