prep
noun
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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:
This last week, getting to direct a piece that I wrote, was even more fun because I’d pictured it already in my mind when I was writing it, which is a form of prep.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Her overseas posting and relocation were smoothed by $1.2 million in perks, covering housing-related costs, lease termination, tuition, tax prep and other benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Eric Rath, founder and president of Los Angeles-based Rath Tutoring, a college prep service, said in an interview that the university should preserve the existing baseline, which he described as a threshold system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Working in food, my office is quite literally the kitchen: I write at a repurposed steel prep table, with my laptop on top and Dutch ovens stored below, that sits directly beside the stove.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
The guest bathroom has to be perfect, and Hana and I are forced to be Momma’s prep cooks with lots of dicing and measuring and cleaning up after.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
“A lot of the programs and community services and networks that the world relied on to deliver HIV/AIDS treatment and PrEP have been dismantled or abandoned for lack of funding for a year,” Maybarduk says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 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
Homelessness and domestic violence can also make it difficult to take oral PrEP every day.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 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
Among those on the chopping block were grants related to PrEP, the regimen of drugs that can thwart HIV infection, scientists told the New York Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 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
“We really connected more on the mental side of it. The prep. How much it takes to be prepared,” he said.
From Fox News ● Jan. 26, 2020
“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
Justin Thomas did some serious Masters prep. . . by playing Frogger:
From Golf Digest ● Apr. 8, 2019
Everybody, from the youngest prep. to the oldest grad., will know it and love it.
From An American at Oxford by John Corbin
She preps "summer baskets" which include puzzle books, reading books and snacks to curb any boredom.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Mohwinkel, who heads the cocktail program, preps his concoctions hours before opening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 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
Fetching ingredients from a fridge decorated with magnetic letters and arts and crafts, Linda preps homemade guacamole to go with ceviche from the market.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2025
My preps do pretty well until they try to address the spot on my arm where Johanna dug out the tracker.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
And for the simplest possible showstopper, Frieda’s Hulas Ready-to-Drink Coconuts come peeled and prepped with a tool that lets you open them and insert a straw in seconds.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 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 was literally being prepped to go into surgery when I first found out online that was happening," he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
"The heat is staying regardless and it will be the same next year, so people need to get prepped and book ahead," he said.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
But as our pitcher prepped to toss, I started really sweating.
From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone
Instead, the city decided it could spend about $5.6 million razing them and prepping the hill for 100-plus multifamily units.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Bill Pulte, the 38-year-old now prepping to run America’s entire intelligence community, doesn’t have any direct connections I could find to Pulte, Timmis, or other Fellowship leaders or organizations.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026
Here, Realtor.com lifts the lid on Williams’ many properties—including the luxurious abode where she has been prepping for her on-court return and the elegant home she shared with her sister for many years.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
Pandit alleged Singh withdrew from the film about three weeks before shooting was due to begin, after producers had already spent a lot of money on prepping and overseas schedules.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
My mom moved frantically around the kitchen, prepping and chopping and smelling the cazuelas starting to bubble on the burners.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
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.
