prep
noun
prep
1 American
[prep]
/ prɛp /
noun
-
preps
plural
-
a preliminary or warm-up activity or event; trial run.
The race is a good prep for the Kentucky Derby.
-
preparation.
dealer prep on the car included.
-
the act of preparing a patient for a medical or surgical procedure.
adjective
-
preparatory.
a prep school.
-
involving or used for preparation.
the mortuary's prep room.
verb (used with object)
prepped,
prepping
-
to prepare (a person) for a test, debate, etc.
-
to prepare (a patient) for a medical or surgical procedure, as by shaving and washing the skin with an antibacterial soap.
-
to prepare (a vehicle or craft) for sale, use, a test drive, or a race.
-
to prepare (something); make ready.
You can prep the onions and peppers in advance.
verb (used without object)
prepped,
prepping
-
to prepare; get ready.
to prep for the game.
-
to attend a preparatory school.
PrEP
2
American
[prep]
/ prɛp /
noun
Medicine/Medical.
prep.
3
American
abbreviation
-
preparation.
-
preparatory.
-
prepare.
-
preposition.
prep.
1
British
abbreviation
-
preparation
-
preparatory
-
preposition
prep
2
British
/ prɛp /
noun
verb
Usage
What else does prep mean? Preps are people who live a preppy lifestyle, associated with young, rich, usually white men and their stereotypical fashion.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of prep
First recorded in 1860–65; by shortening
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:
Common advice to fight it includes “closing” your kitchen after dinner, keeping tempting treats out of the house, and doing meal prep at the start of the week.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
Before he was a doomer, Coxon came across a book while at his elite Oxford prep school that would help shape his worldview.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, started at their prep school last week, the paper says.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
She enjoys doing drop-off and pickup, using the commute time to help her daughter navigate the kinds of human dilemmas she does professionally, while her house manager tackles dinner prep at home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
By the time I finished with the early morning dish prep, I had practically drowned in soap bubbles.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
Another new law will enhance access to drugs known as PrEP and PEP, which are aimed at preventing HIV.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, has been used for over a decade to prevent HIV, but its reliance on a daily pill has limited its impact on global infections.
From Barron's ● Dec. 1, 2025
But since the introduction of powerful antiretroviral drugs in the 1990s that allow those infected to continue living healthy lives — and more recent preventative treatments such as PrEP — fatalities have plunged.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2025
It is hoped it will replace the current form of HIV preventative drug, know as PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, which is taken orally and also costs $40 per person each year.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
It's PrEPHer program, named after the preventative medication protecting against HIV transmission, seeks to provide Black and brown women with education on sexual health, encourage PrEP usage and connect them with resources.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2025
“There’s no such thing as too much site prep. The more you can prepare an area, the better it’s going to look later on,” he says.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 17, 2023
"I feel good about the prep. I think with all the change going around us, it is making our team focus tighter."
From Fox News ● Dec. 1, 2021
“And it really doesn’t cost a lot to start a prep. I mean, you started with one printer.”
From The Verge ● Nov. 14, 2019
“This time, Mayor Pete cleared his schedule to focus on debate prep. He’s not even going to make it to T-ball practice or Timmy’s pizza party,” Triumph observed.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 29, 2019
She ended with: “What prep. school do you come from?”
From Marjorie Dean College Freshman by Pauline Lester
She preps "summer baskets" which include puzzle books, reading books and snacks to curb any boredom.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
There is a version of yourself who meal preps.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
"The crew just shared a peaceful breakfast with our families and we jump back into training tomorrow to start our preps for a March launch to the Moon."
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
On the morning after Christmas, Paul Caldeira, who works for ReturnQueen, looks through dozens of pickup orders and preps his van with stacks of bags and sorting labels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
Granddad's cook does the shopping and preps the meals, but the aunties plan all the menus.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
Despite the change in venue, some things are universal in Nigeria, whose creaking grid is as infamous as Lagos traffic: as the models prepped backstage Friday, the power briefly cut out.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
I had prepped appetizers, sides and heavily salted my steaks, in advance, which was fortunate.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
A Niçoise salad is a meal in itself that can be prepped ahead of time, and multiplied to feed many.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
"I hadn't prepped for after he was born."
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
There was no hair, makeup, or wardrobe to be tended to, no marshaling of our children, no late-night speech being prepped for delivery.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
This isn’t about optimizing every meal, spending three hours prepping identical containers or constructing the sort of Sunday routine that makes you feel behind when you inevitably skip it.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
"I quickly learned meal prepping and batch cooking was the best way for me," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Herfurth is used to meal prepping in bulk, and said it’s a common practice among college students hoping to cut costs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Fluhler said that, for the time being, staff members are prepping around two-thirds of what they were before, a move that’s helped lower costs, since the owners don’t have to buy those products.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
And now the thoughts rush in: adjusting the blue prints, prepping the trailer bed, lounging on the finished deck with my friends while sipping lemonade from fancy glasses.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
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.
