prep

See also: prep. and PrEP

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: prĕp, IPA^(key): /pɹɛp/

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

• Audio (Northern California):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛp

Noun

prep (countable and uncountable, plural preps)

1. (countable) Preparation.
   • 2026 August, Collin Knoff, “Mid-Century Modern Table”, in Popular Woodworking, volume 290, number 4, page 48:

     There was a bit of prep to set the drill press up for the operation. First, the table had to be rotated 90 degrees. Next, I had to set up a fence to cut each tenon exactly on center.

2. (horse racing) A preparatory race or workout.
3. Abbreviation of preposition.
5. (informal, countable) A prep school.
6. (informal, countable) A student or graduate of a prep school, a preppy. [from late 19th c.]
   1. (US, slang, chiefly derogatory) A person using the styles and mannerisms (especially in terms of fashion) associated with prep students.
7. (UK, chiefly private schools, uncountable) Homework; work set to do outside class time.
8. (Australia) Nursery school; preschool.
9. (Philippines) Preparatory level; the last two levels or the fourth and fifth years of preschool; the two levels before first grade.
10. Alternative form of PrEP.

Derived terms

• cyberprep
• mealprep
• meal prep
• miniprep
• prep cook
• prep pad
• preppie
• preppy
• prep room
• prepster

Translations

preparation — see preparation

abbreviation of preposition

• Finnish: prep.
• Polish: przyimek (pl) m

preparatory school — see prep school

student or graduate of a prep school — see preppy

homework — see homework

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} prep (fr)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} prep (it), ^{(please verify)} prepo
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} praep, ^{(please verify)} praepus

Verb

prep (third-person singular simple present preps, present participle prepping, simple past and past participle prepped)

2. (informal, transitive) To prepare.

   Synonym: prep up

   prep someone for something

Derived terms

• prep out
• prepper

Translations

informal: to prepare

• Finnish: prepata (for an exam etc.)
• Polish: przygotowywać (pl) impf, przygotować (pl) pf

Anagrams

• Repp, perp, repp

Middle Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpʲɾʲeb/

Noun

prep f

1. a start, bounce

Descendants

• Irish: preab

Mutation

Mutation of prep

radical	lenition	nasalization
prep	phrep or unchanged	prep pronounced with /b(ʲ)-/

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Middle Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “prep”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language