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:
So, once I’m home, I’ll prep a chicken curry so it can sit in the marinade for a day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
The food prep becomes secondary to the drama.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 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
The exercise revealed that pre-call prep and post-call debriefings could be automated and that many reports could be scrapped.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
“By the way,” says Dad, “I’m helping Brooke prep for the show.”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
The Housewives convening was organized by MISTR, a major online provider for PrEP, a daily HIV prevention pill.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2026
The US government has already slashed other longstanding HIV/AIDS prevention programs including for PrEP, which had been encouraged to prevent HIV among people engaged in high-risk activities.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
Official figures for England show the number of people taking PrEP in sexual health services is increasing.
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
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
"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
The rest of prep. went off quite quietly.
From The Secret Glory by Arthur Machen
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
The kind who finally gets it together and meal preps every week?
From Salon ● Apr. 21, 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
Leevy, who was my neighbor back in 12, gives a cautious hello to the preps, and Gale’s mother, Hazelle, who must know about their imprisonment, holds up a spoonful of the stew.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Not long ago, when Florida real-estate investor Karlin Ridgeway prepped a house for sale, all-new kitchen appliances were a must.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 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
The misoprostol-only protocol has some downsides: It can be a bit more unpredictable, since it can take longer for a body to expel a pregnancy if it’s not prepped with mifepristone.
From Slate ● May 18, 2026
Doctors in sterile white, masked and gloved, already prepped to operate, go into action.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Plus, U.S. soft power at the World Cup, the best views of Maine’s coast and prepping to watch “The Odyssey’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 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
Delilah and Nino went back to prepping lunch orders.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
It quickly became my default and it works for single servings or meal prepping, if you don’t want to worry about lunch for a few days.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026
Six white news vans line the dusty road to the camp, and we see reporters prepping to go live with their camera crews.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
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.
