prefab
Americanadjective
noun
verb (used with object)
noun
Etymology
Origin of prefab
First recorded in 1935–40; by shortening
Explanation
Prefab is short for “prefabricated,” which means “made beforehand,” and not “before fabulous.” Prefab things are made in sections that can be easily shipped and put together to form a finished product. Some buildings and houses are prefab. Prefab can be used as a noun or adjective. When you talk about a cool prefab you saw downtown, you mean a prefabricated building, one that was built from parts that were shipped and quickly assembled. Prefab shelters have been made from converted shipping containers. Some furniture is sold this way, too, like a prefab bookshelf in flat box that contain sections you can take home and put together easily. Or so say the directions.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Their prefab design has managed to avoid plastics except, like Cirino's house, in plumbing.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
Once we arrive at Île d’Oléron, we try a beachfront campground but it feels too crowded with glamping pods and prefab huts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025
Development Programme wants to deploy 1,100 prefab housing units, each equipped with a kilowatt of solar and rudimentary plumbing, as part of a $27 million program.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2025
Can prefab homes accelerate the rebuilding of Altadena and Pacific Palisades?
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2025
Admin is a single-level modular prefab building with wide gray paneling and a flat white roof.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
