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:
“When you have private parties and gatherings, we talk about prepping: ‘Do you prep, do you not prep?’ ” said Mortensen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Harvey, now playing for a prep school team, declined to return a request for comment if he had played.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
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
I’ve written before about my general resistance to rigid weekly meal prep.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
So he rubbed his eyes and leafed through the prep books that he would have to study for the next four months.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
The Housewives convening was organized by MISTR, a major online provider for PrEP, a daily HIV prevention pill.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 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
Last year,146,098 HIV-negative people accessing sexual health services had a PrEP need because they were at substantial risk of acquiring HIV.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 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
“A major area of concern is coverage of PrEP for HIV,” a preventive drug that was challenged in the Texas lawsuit that came to the Supreme Court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2025
“It was all about skin prep. We asked the girls to grow their eyebrows. We’re fans of FaceGym. They had Humantra electrolytes every morning, and did Jart+ face masks,” said Stacey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
“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
If you're fond of early rising, I'll call you all every day at six, and arrange for prep. at half-past instead of at seven.
From The Jolliest Term on Record A Story of School Life by Angela Brazil
She preps "summer baskets" which include puzzle books, reading books and snacks to curb any boredom.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
She eats lunch, throws in a load of laundry and preps dinner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
There is a version of you who meal preps breakfast.
From Salon ● May 22, 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
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
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
The grass is being measured, the rackets strung and the strawberries and cream prepped.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Then, while the paper was being prepped for publication, BP began aggressively promoting the ideas it contained.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
While I knock down breakfast and get prepped, I try to think of what I might say.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
But before simply moving on — prepping for the next doomsday scenario — it is worth asking what we can learn from this one.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
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
“Hence all the meal prepping that I’ve been doing,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 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
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