variants also prolog
1
as in prelude
a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event unfortunately, the burglary, which he committed while still a teen, was but a prologue to a wasted life of crime

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2

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 prologue If past is prologue, this approach could allow the Islamic Republic to frame any conflict with United States not as a struggle for regime survival but as a sovereign nation’s resistance against external coercion. Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 17 Mar. 2025 If the past is prologue, real wages rose over $6,000 during Trump's first term while falling some $2,000 under Biden's. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025 If past is prologue, some clues about how Trump might approach this routine task of the presidency may be found in Trump's State of the Union address from 2020. Tamara Keith, NPR, 2 Mar. 2025 Any or all of them could become inescapable water-cooler conversation over the next twelve months if Sundance’s past remains its prologue. Chris Lee, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prologue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prologue
Noun
  • Image Lacking indoor plumbing, the family basked in this sauna as a prelude to bathing in the cold lake.
    Julie Lasky, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025
  • At one point, during our game, my mother-in-law said that dominoes could be used to speak to the dead, a comment that had no prelude and which received no verbal response from anyone at the table.
    Hazlitt, Hazlitt, 2 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Despite the introduction of supposedly carbon-neutral fuel next year, hybrid powertrains are why companies like Audi and Cadillac are joining and why Honda is coming back.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Dyson Airwrap for $600: The Dyson Airwrap set (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is great, and was my first introduction to a blow-dry brush attachment.
    Nena Farrell, Wired News, 20 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Late preliminaries available on ESPN+, ESPN, Disney+, and ESPN Deportes at 8 p.m. ET.
    Jim Varsallone, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2025
  • While the diving kicked off Thursday, the swimming gets underway with preliminaries on Friday, with the finals for both swimming and diving slated for Saturday.
    Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Wells Fargo Reflect® Card Learn More On Wells Fargo’s site Rewards None Welcome bonus None Annual fee $0 Intro APR 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers.
    Brian Sloan,Dan Avery, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Editor's Note: This recipe was developed by Marianne Williams; the recipe intro and tips were written by Kimberly Holland.
    Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 28 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Prologue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prologue. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

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