Coming before the main part of something; done as an early or introductory step.
“The preliminary findings of the survey suggest that most residents support the new bike lanes.”
“According to a preliminary report, the new policy could reduce commute times by fifteen percent.”
In Reading Part 3 articles, 'preliminary' often appears in paragraphs about the early stages of a study or plan, such as 'preliminary findings' or 'preliminary report.' Watch for this distinction, since a question may ask you to tell apart a paragraph about early-stage results from one about final, confirmed conclusions.
Synonyms: initial, introductory, early-stage