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.
See Examples For:
“Since last July we’ve been participating in various efforts to demystify prefab housing for people in Altadena and the Palisades,” co-founder Caroline Paules said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety does not identify prefab projects in its building permits, a spokesman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Jonathan Talbot, the new home’s owner, said he was fascinated with prefab as “the natural progression of the housing industry” but needed to be convinced it was the right move after his house burned down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Their prefab design has managed to avoid plastics except, like Cirino's house, in plumbing.
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
I spot them all over the country, standing on the far side of playing fields, little white prefab buildings with a row of windows unnaturally high up, tucked almost under the eaves.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
“Why would anyone want a prefabbed home?” one user wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2025
He has promised to keep his mind open and to maximize the pick’s value, but he also has repeatedly hinted at a prefabbed plan.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2020
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.
