prep

1 of 3

noun

ˈprep 

1

: preparation

2

: preparatory school

3

: a preliminary trial for a racehorse

prep

2 of 3

verb

prepped; prepping

intransitive verb

1

: to attend preparatory school

2

[short for prepare] : to get ready

transitive verb

: prepare

especially : to prepare for an operation or examination

nurses prepped the patient

PrEP

3 of 3

abbreviation

pre-exposure prophylaxis

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that PrEP, when used consistently, can reduce the risk of H.I.V. infection by up to 92 percent.

—Ginia Bellafante

Synonyms

Verb

• fit
• fix
• groom
• lay
• prepare
• ready

Examples of prep in a Sentence

Noun

Painting a room involves a lot of prep.

Verb

She spent all night prepping for the test.

The runners are prepping themselves for the race.

It took me about 20 minutes to prep the vegetables.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But the meal prep takes a sinister turn when supernatural forces start to interfere. —Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

But, while several companies including White Castle, Sweetgreen and Chipotle are currently testing out ways to automate food prep, circuits and software haven’t yet taken over. —Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024

Verb

The first season introduced Russell’s Kate Wyler as a seasoned foreign service officer who has her sights set on taking a post in Afghanistan but is reluctantly enlisted by the White House to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom in order to quietly prep her to become vice president. —Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

Skip the tableside carving, and prep a pretty platter instead. —Jeanne Ambrose, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1909, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing prep

• prep school

Medical Definition

prep

1 of 3 noun

ˈprep 

: the act or an instance of preparing a patient for a surgical operation

the nurse had three preps to do

prep

2 of 3 transitive verb

prepped; prepping

: to prepare for a surgical operation or examination

prep the patient for an appendectomy

PrEP

3 of 3 abbreviation

pre-exposure prophylaxis

The introduction of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has shown significant promise in reducing the rate of HIV incidence. … Although nearly 1.2 million people could benefit from PrEP, AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) estimates that ~130,000–135,000 individuals were actively on PrEP in late 2019—meaning <15% of individuals in need of PrEP had a current prescription.

—Benedikt Pleuhs et al., AIDS Patient Care and STDs