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• pro
  pro

  adverb

  in favor of a proposition, opinion, etc.
• Pro
  Pro

  abbreviation

  proline.
• PRO
  PRO

  public relations officer.
• pro-
  pro-

  a prefix indicating favor for some party, system, idea, etc., without identity with the group (pro-British; pro-Communist; proslavery ), having anti- as its opposite.

pro

¹ American  

[proh] / proʊ /

adverb

1. in favor of a proposition, opinion, etc.

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noun

• pros
  plural

1. a proponent of an issue; a person who upholds the affirmative in a debate.

2. an argument, consideration, vote, etc., for something.

pro ² American  

[proh] / proʊ /

adjective

1. professional.

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noun

• pros
  plural

1. a professional.

2. the pros, the professional athletic leagues, as of football, baseball, or basketball.

   He's sure to be signed by the pros.

pro ³ American  

[proh] / proʊ /

noun

Slang.

• pros
  plural

1. prophylactic.

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pro ⁴ American  

[proh] / proʊ /

preposition

Latin.

1. for.

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Pro ⁵ American  

abbreviation

Biochemistry.

1. proline.

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PRO ⁶ American  

Or P.R.O.

1. public relations officer.

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pro- ⁷ American  

1. a prefix indicating favor for some party, system, idea, etc., without identity with the group (pro-British; pro-Communist; proslavery ), having anti- as its opposite.

2. a prefix of priority in space or time having especially a meaning of advancing or projecting forward or outward, and also used to indicate substitution, attached widely to stems not used as words.

   provision; prologue; proceed; produce; protract; procathedral; proconsul.

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pro- ⁸ American  

1. a prefix identical in meaning with pro-1 , occurring in words borrowed from Greek (prodrome ) or formed of Greek (and occasionally Latin) elements.

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pro ¹ British  

/ prəʊ /

adverb

1. in favour of a motion, issue, course of action, etc Compare anti

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preposition

1. in favour of

noun

1. (usually plural) an argument or vote in favour of a proposal or motion See also pros and cons

2. (usually plural) a person who votes in favour of a proposal, motion, etc

pro ² British  

/ prəʊ /

noun

1. informal short for professional

2. slang a prostitute

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abbreviation

1. professional practitioner

adjective

1. informal short for professional

PRO ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Public Records Office

2. public relations officer

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pro- ⁴ British  

prefix

1. in favour of; supporting

   pro-Chinese

2. acting as a substitute for

   proconsul

   pronoun

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pro- ⁵ British  

prefix

1. before in time or position; anterior; forward

   prophase

   procephalic

   prognathous

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pros
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pro¹

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English, from Latin prō (preposition) “in favor of, on behalf of,” akin to Greek pró, Sanskrit pra; see also for, per ( def. )

Origin of pro²

First recorded in 1840–50; by shortening

Origin of pro³

First recorded in 1945–50; by shortening

Origin of pro-⁷

< Latin prō-, pro-, combining form representing prō pro ¹

Origin of pro-⁸

< Greek, combining form of pró for, before; see pro ¹

Explanation

Pro is a Latin root word meaning for. If you make a list of pros and cons, you are listing the reasons for doing something and the reasons not to, respectively. Pro is also the shortened form of the word "professional," often referring to professional sports. If your cousin plays college basketball — and he's really good — he'll have to decide if he is going to turn pro or finish college first. The shortened form isn't always about sports, however. You might handle your little sister's bicycle accident like a pro, cleaning her up, sticking bandages on her knees, and handing her a lollipop.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pro Pro PRO pro- pros

Klare is part of a loaded position group that includes veterans Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and second-year pro Terrance Ferguson.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

One last pro tip from Garrett: Do the work yourself.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Mr. Buckner, a Democrat, is speaker pro tempore of the Illinois House of Representatives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

A "pro" version of the adult shirt costs £90, with a matching pair of shorts and socks costing a total of £136.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The energy had largely drained from the movement, and most women didn’t talk much about suffrage, pro or con.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

The Portugal captain has spent almost four years at Saudi Pro League champions Al-Nassr, where he has one year remaining on his contract.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

“The Trump administration’s National Cyber Strategy will shift from primarily focusing on online defenses to actively going after nation-state hackers to deter attacks before they happen,” WSJ Pro Cyber’s Angus Loten reported.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Burrows is a three-time Pro Bowl selection in six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

In the event that the president dies or is incapacitated, Vice-President JD Vance would take power, followed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

“That is a Pyle Pro turntable. With horn. It looks like a vintage phonograph, but plays vinyl, cassette tapes, CDs, and MP3s.”

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

The storage company on Monday announced new branding for its solid-state drives, including what are now known as the Optimus GX PRO drives.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 6, 2026

The labor-affiliated Economic Policy Institute also offered encouraging words, citing Chavez-DeRemer’s support for the PRO Act and the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act, which would protect organizing and collective bargaining rights for government employees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2024

Maybe the closest antecedent is a new, $85 million HUD program called “Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing,” or PRO Housing, which this summer issued 17 grants of a few million dollars each.

From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2024

With the two sides far apart, PRO brought in replacement officials to start the MLS season, but there really is no replacing the regular ones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2024

Had he not told me of what he saw—of the man who looked at my Virgil—over her shoulder— PRO.

From The Broad Highway by Jeffery Farnol

Kennedy said the change would improve public trust by ensuring members of the committee didn’t have “any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025

During his trip, Mr Macron had meetings with New Caledonian pro- and anti-independence leaders.

From BBC ● May 23, 2024

He plunged into a series of marathon meetings with local officials, business leaders, and pro- and anti-independence groups.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2024

The scientists identified the specific groups of neurons in the vagus nerve and in the cNST that help detect and control pro- and anti-inflammatory activity.

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2024

They could see the pro- ' cessional clerics busy about the decencies of death, and the twinkling knights standing motionless, and the people’s heads, like baskets of coconuts, round the outside of the square.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

But those who know Kushner are convinced he will hang back and leave the basketball to the pros.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Jeff said they drew up a list of the pros and cons and the disadvantages were "far outweighed".

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Scorching summer temperatures have disrupted life for millions of Europeans but for winegrowers in Italy and France, who are harvesting their grapes unusually early, the hot weather offers pros as well as cons.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

It’s worth noting that Jim Harbaugh got his team to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons, and he has a history of turning around franchises in college football and the pros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

So over our gooseberry pie we looked at the pros and cons of one, two, three, and four chains, quickly dismissing one- chain helices as incompatible with the evidence in our hands.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

Related Words

• ace
• expert
• professional