Meaning & use
pre-assembled
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Meaning
adjectivebefore a noun
Already put together or built before being sold or used, so no assembly is needed.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a pre-assembled cabinet. It is not usually used after a verb like 'be'.
Patterns
- pre-assembled furniture
- pre-assembled unit
- arrive pre-assembled
The bookshelf came pre-assembled, so we just had to take it out of the box.
They bought a pre-assembled greenhouse to save time on building it.
All the pre-assembled parts were checked for damage before shipping.
Common combinations
- pre-assembled furniture
- Pre-assembled furniture costs more but saves you a lot of work.
- pre-assembled kit
- The model airplane is a pre-assembled kit, ready to fly.
- come pre-assembled
- The desk comes pre-assembled, so you can use it right away.
- pre-assembled unit
- The pre-assembled unit was easy to install in the kitchen.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ready-made
- Ready-made means made in advance and ready to use, but it often applies to clothes or food, not things that need building.
- pre-built
- Pre-built is similar but more common for buildings or computer systems; pre-assembled is used for smaller items like furniture or machines.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: pre-assembled or prefabricated?
pre-assembled vs prefabricated
Prefabricated means made in a factory in sections that are later put together on site, like a prefabricated house. Pre-assembled means already put together completely.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pre-assembled' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct answer is B because 'pre-assembled' describes something already put together. An is wrong because it contradicts the meaning (if it was pre-assembled, you don't build it). C is wrong because instructions are not assembled. D is wrong because 'pre-assembled' is not used for meetings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pre-assembled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.