ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Prelude

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈpɹɛljuːd/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Prelude is a noun meaning An introductory or preliminary performance or event.

Meaning

An introductory or preliminary performance or event.

More Meanings

  1. (programming) A standard module or library of subroutines and functions to be imported, generally by default, into a program.
  2. (figurative) A forerunner to anything.
  3. To introduce something, as a prelude.
  4. To play an introduction or prelude; to give a prefatory performance.
  5. (music) A short, free-form piece of music, originally one serving as an introduction to a longer and more complex piece; later, starting with the Romantic period, generally a stand-alone piece.

Example Sentences

The musicians preluded on their instruments.
We are preluding too largely, and must come at once to the point.
Swimmings of the head and intestinal pains seemed the prelude of dissolution.
Adam Schiff, a Democratic senator from California, called it a “very dangerous escalation and a prelude to potential conflict”.

Word Forms

Synonyms for prelude

Depending on context, synonyms include forestory, preface, intrada, overture, preliminary.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include preliminary, overture, prologue, foreword, preface, preamble.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.