prep
1 Americannoun
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a preliminary or warm-up activity or event; trial run.
The race is a good prep for the Kentucky Derby.
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preparation.
dealer prep on the car included.
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the act of preparing a patient for a medical or surgical procedure.
adjective
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preparatory.
a prep school.
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involving or used for preparation.
the mortuary's prep room.
verb (used with object)
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to prepare (a person) for a test, debate, etc.
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to prepare (a patient) for a medical or surgical procedure, as by shaving and washing the skin with an antibacterial soap.
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to prepare (a vehicle or craft) for sale, use, a test drive, or a race.
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to prepare (something); make ready.
You can prep the onions and peppers in advance.
verb (used without object)
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to prepare; get ready.
to prep for the game.
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to attend a preparatory school.
noun
abbreviation
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preparation.
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preparatory.
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prepare.
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preposition.
abbreviation
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preparation
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preparatory
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preposition
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.
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.
Most go on to college and some to very selective ones, but the “prep” is not only for higher education.
If you understand this, then tax prep isn’t as hard as you think it might be.
From MarketWatch
"There's no better prep than playing India in India for a World Cup," said Santner.
From Barron's
At my old school, once a month we had teacher prep day.
From Literature
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I know she loves being assigned greenhouse duty the most; it’s where we prep our seed trays and grow the vegetable starts for our garden.
From Literature
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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.