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• pro
  pro

  adverb

  in favor of a proposition, opinion, etc.
• Pro
  Pro

  abbreviation

  proline.
• PRO
  PRO

  public relations officer.
• pro-
  pro-

  a prefix indicating favor for some party, system, idea, etc., without identity with the group (pro-British; pro-Communist; proslavery ), having anti- as its opposite.

pro

¹ American  

[proh] / proʊ /

adverb

1. in favor of a proposition, opinion, etc.

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noun

• pros
  plural

1. a proponent of an issue; a person who upholds the affirmative in a debate.

2. an argument, consideration, vote, etc., for something.

pro ² American  

[proh] / proʊ /

adjective

1. professional.

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noun

• pros
  plural

1. a professional.

2. the pros, the professional athletic leagues, as of football, baseball, or basketball.

   He's sure to be signed by the pros.

pro ³ American  

[proh] / proʊ /

noun

Slang.

• pros
  plural

1. prophylactic.

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pro ⁴ American  

[proh] / proʊ /

preposition

Latin.

1. for.

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Pro ⁵ American  

abbreviation

Biochemistry.

1. proline.

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PRO ⁶ American  

Or P.R.O.

1. public relations officer.

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pro- ⁷ American  

1. a prefix indicating favor for some party, system, idea, etc., without identity with the group (pro-British; pro-Communist; proslavery ), having anti- as its opposite.

2. a prefix of priority in space or time having especially a meaning of advancing or projecting forward or outward, and also used to indicate substitution, attached widely to stems not used as words.

   provision; prologue; proceed; produce; protract; procathedral; proconsul.

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pro- ⁸ American  

1. a prefix identical in meaning with pro-1 , occurring in words borrowed from Greek (prodrome ) or formed of Greek (and occasionally Latin) elements.

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pro ¹ British  

/ prəʊ /

adverb

1. in favour of a motion, issue, course of action, etc Compare anti

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preposition

1. in favour of

noun

1. (usually plural) an argument or vote in favour of a proposal or motion See also pros and cons

2. (usually plural) a person who votes in favour of a proposal, motion, etc

pro ² British  

/ prəʊ /

noun

1. informal short for professional

2. slang a prostitute

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abbreviation

1. professional practitioner

adjective

1. informal short for professional

PRO ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Public Records Office

2. public relations officer

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pro- ⁴ British  

prefix

1. in favour of; supporting

   pro-Chinese

2. acting as a substitute for

   proconsul

   pronoun

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pro- ⁵ British  

prefix

1. before in time or position; anterior; forward

   prophase

   procephalic

   prognathous

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pros
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pro¹

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English, from Latin prō (preposition) “in favor of, on behalf of,” akin to Greek pró, Sanskrit pra; see also for, per ( def. )

Origin of pro²

First recorded in 1840–50; by shortening

Origin of pro³

First recorded in 1945–50; by shortening

Origin of pro-⁷

< Latin prō-, pro-, combining form representing prō pro ¹

Origin of pro-⁸

< Greek, combining form of pró for, before; see pro ¹

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Explanation

Pro is a Latin root word meaning for. If you make a list of pros and cons, you are listing the reasons for doing something and the reasons not to, respectively. Pro is also the shortened form of the word "professional," often referring to professional sports. If your cousin plays college basketball — and he's really good — he'll have to decide if he is going to turn pro or finish college first. The shortened form isn't always about sports, however. You might handle your little sister's bicycle accident like a pro, cleaning her up, sticking bandages on her knees, and handing her a lollipop.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pro Pro PRO pro- pros

And if the net is widened to include powerlifting and pro wrestling, Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Jesse Ventura of Minnesota get a nod.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

“Bribery,” a specific form of corruption requiring a quid pro quo exchange of favors for something of value, is part of the final constitutional definition of impeachable conduct.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026

The basketball pro scored quite an impressive deal on this unit, which had been listed for $2.5 million.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Dasdan will be entitled to severance benefits and will receive a pro rata bonus equal to $515,000 as well as a lump sum cash payment of about $1.3 million, as well as certain additional benefits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

So Thaya Jaan is anti music but he is pro basketball?

From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan

Following the postponement of the Asian Cup, this weekend's full round of Saudi Pro League has been called off.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

The fire-sale-minded Colts traded standout defensive tackle DeForest Buckner back to San Francisco, and eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

Along with the Duo and the touch-screen MacBook Pro, the company has also unveiled or launched a new iPad mini, a new HomePod and introduced HomeView, a home-management device, he noted.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 1, 2026

Williams, a 2023 Pro Bowl player, signed a three-year extension before last season that included $23 million in guarantees.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

I could not but shake my head-, knowing not where Pro Bono had been this seven months.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell is a useful measuring stick, since it’s sold both to the cloud providers and the companies that would otherwise rent from them.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

Every RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell carries 96 gigabytes of high-speed memory, leaving it exposed to the industrywide memory shortage.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

Maybe the closest antecedent is a new, $85 million HUD program called “Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing,” or PRO Housing, which this summer issued 17 grants of a few million dollars each.

From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2024

“We’re prepared to manage through this labor dispute with PRO any way that’s necessary to ensure that we are coming out of this in a way that is rational,” Garber told the Athletic last week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2024

For, in the Goa Police, the office of the PRO is that of a sorting department.

From Behind the News: Voices from Goa's Press by Various

Calling both pro- and anti-ICE beliefs “deeply American sentiments,” he asked viewers to “find a way to live with people who are genuinely different from us” and to “make things better and keep things decent.”

From Salon ● Jan. 10, 2026

Kennedy said the change would improve public trust by ensuring members of the committee didn’t have “any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025

He plunged into a series of marathon meetings with local officials, business leaders, and pro- and anti-independence groups.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2024

The scientists identified the specific groups of neurons in the vagus nerve and in the cNST that help detect and control pro- and anti-inflammatory activity.

From Science Daily ● May 1, 2024

NOTE.—In a few instances pro- is changed into pur-, as purpose; into por-, as portray; and into pol-, as pollute.

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton

I realize this is still a very new situation, but again – I’m curious about the pros and cons.

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026

We met with first-timers and pre-dating app pros, people of various backgrounds, races, ages and body types.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Investment pros say investors shouldn’t abandon bonds, but instead focus on those with shorter maturities.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

But those pros have a tendency to stray from their benchmarks—often in the wrong direction.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Like I said, I’m not even a big sports dude, but actually meeting somebody who played in the pros was big.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds

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