preform

1 of 2

verb

pre·​form ˈprē-ˌfȯrm How to pronounce preform (audio)
(ˌ)prē-ˈfȯrm
preformed; preforming; preforms

transitive verb

1
: to form or shape beforehand
2
: to bring to approximate preliminary shape and size

preform

2 of 2

noun

pre·​form ˈprē-ˌfȯrm How to pronounce preform (audio)
plural preforms
: any of various objects of manufacture or handicraft after preliminary shaping: such as
a
: a rough gemstone that has been cut to approximately its finished size and shape
b
: a tube produced for the purpose of being molded into a particular form (such as a bottle)

Examples of preform in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
However, preformed vitamin A can accumulate in the body, primarily in the liver. Jillian Kubala, Health, 16 Sep. 2024 And, oh, by-the-way, UK pop star Robbie Williams would be preforming on a stage floating next to the Yacht Club de Monaco during the event too! Bill Springer, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024 Videos of him filling in for his dad and preforming his dad’s most beloved hits were shared on TikTok. Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 24 June 2024 Fourth, these methodological issues are compounded by messy EHR data which should be cleaned prior to preforming predictive tasks. Saurabh Gombar, STAT, 21 June 2024 Many later blooming species don’t have preformed flower buds that overwinter underground. Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 21 June 2024 One downside is that the concrete must be preformed and cannot be poured and set on site. IEEE Spectrum, 8 May 2023 For example, feelings related to fear, such as horror or terror, are cognitively assembled conceptions of one’s situation, rather than preformed, innate mental states inherited from animals. Dean Mobbs, Scientific American, 20 Sep. 2019 But the Hunter for Target line is mass-produced in a factory, using a preformed mold. Abha Bhattarai, chicagotribune.com, 16 Apr. 2018
Noun
Inside the facility, a rotary forge turns red-hot preform hunks of steel and alloy, using mechanical hammers to draw out precise shapes and contours. Hope Hodge Seck, Popular Mechanics, 21 Aug. 2023 In a nutshell, researchers placed hundreds of square silicon microscale digital chips into a preform that created a polymer fiber. Eric Tegler, Forbes, 17 June 2021

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin praeformare, from prae- + formare to form, from forma form

First Known Use

Verb

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1931, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of preform was in 1601

Dictionary Entries Near preform

Cite this Entry

“Preform.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preform. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

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