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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

Be generous with napkins, too, and pro tip: tuck a bus tub — which you can buy online or from a restaurant supply store — somewhere discreet for used dishes.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

Ap Iorwerth denied offering a quid pro quo to the prime minister, who the Plaid Cymru leader is hoping will give the Cardiff government more powers and funding.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

So, I volunteered to join her, part-time and pro bono.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

It was Stafford’s 40th fourth-quarter comeback victory, leaving the 18th-year pro one shy of tying Ben Roethlisberger for third on the all-time list behind Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

"Nice job," the coach said as Lu trotted back over to the side like a pro.

From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds

Recent data from Heatmap Pro showed at least $260 billion in data-center cancellations in the U.S. this year so far due to local opposition.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

I’m not convinced that’s worth $800 more than an iPhone 18 Pro.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Apple’s foldable costs at least $100 more at each level of storage capacity than both Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The Saudi Pro League fixture between Al-Riyadh and Al-Hilal, along with Al-Ittihad against Al-Shabab in Jeddah, has also been pushed back until December.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

I replied that Pro Bono was my elder, and I felt it unseemly to speak when my betters were conversing.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

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

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

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

With the two sides far apart, PRO brought in replacement officials to start the MLS season, but there really is no replacing the regular ones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2024

On the dais nearby, listening to the PRO, but watching Kimball, sat Steinhart, the team analyst.

From The Hills of Home by Alfred Coppel

In the poem “Usefulness,” which was originally published in the Yale Review, you speak of how Black Cubans exist at the nexus of two different political agendas: the pro- and anti-Revolution contingents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

His reactions to the sometimes outrageous comments of his interview subjects, be they pro- or anti-wolf, are sphinx-like; he treats everyone with respect, even when they seem to be going for a soundbite.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025

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

But the decision angered both pro- and anti-Israel demonstrators.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2024

They could see the pro- ' cessional clerics busy about the decencies of death, and the twinkling knights standing motionless, and the people’s heads, like baskets of coconuts, round the outside of the square.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

It has been a disastrous and unfamiliar start for Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who before this season had never lost his first two games, either in college or the pros.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

"So there are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable, and what would be the pros and cons of each," he added.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

"There are clearly options that need to be considered, and we have to look at what is doable and what would be the pros and cons of each," he added.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Plus, investing pros tell us what to make of the rapid rise in yields—and how to trade it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

I had learned from some of the pros, and from my own experience, how important it was to be careful and plan.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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