Possible to use wpdb->prepare with partial query strings?

Hi!

I have a search form and the results page builds the query based on the fields the user has filled in. The query is built through several IF statements. Is it possible to use wpdb->prepare on only part of the query (for instance, the WHERE clauses) as I’m building it, instead of using it on the full final query? The final query will vary depending on user input, so it could get very hairy.

Thanks!