prep

1 of 3

noun

ˈprep How to pronounce prep (audio)
Synonyms of prepnext
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 of prep

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Verb

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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
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Noun
The limited prep area has forced me to be incredibly picky about which tools and appliances to display and which to relegate to cabinets. — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2026 Employee beverage tumblers with unapproved lid were at the shelf of the front service prep area and main kitchen food prep table. — Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
Before tractors can mow down the cover crops and prep the fields for planting, the farm has to figure out how to check out its remaining guests without putting them in harm’s way. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 Thanks to off-season discounts, fall is a notoriously excellent time to prep your patio or backyard for next year’s outdoor festivities. — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prep

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1909, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prep was in 1862

Phrases Containing prep

Rhymes for prep

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Browse Nearby Words

pre-owned
prep
PrEP
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Cite this Entry

“Prep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prep. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Medical Definition

prep

1 of 3 noun
ˈprep How to pronounce prep (audio)
: 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
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