prearrange

prearrange — verb

1. to decide and organize the details of something before the time when it will hap

1.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to decide and organize the details of something before the time when it will happen or be needed

Example

The hotel can prearrange a taxi from the airport for guests.

prearrange + transport service

Before the wedding, Mina prearranged seats for her older relatives.

Common collocations
  • prearrange a taxi
  • prearrange tickets
  • prearrange seating
  • prearrange childcare
Synonyms
  • arrange

    More general, without clearly stressing that it was done ahead of time.

  • plan

    Broader and can describe thinking about something, not only fixing practical details.

  • schedule

    Usually focuses on choosing a time or date.

  • book

    Used mainly for reserving rooms, tickets, tables, or seats.

Antonyms
  • improvise

    Means deciding what to do at the moment instead of preparing earlier.

Grammar Patterns

prearrange + object

be prearranged

Usage Note

Object is usually a service, event detail, ticket, seat, or transport fixed before a later activity. Often appears in the passive when the plan matters more than the person who made it.

Common Mistakes

We arranged the bus last week for the school trip.
We prearranged the bus last week for the school trip.
Use 'prearrange' when you want to stress that the arrangement was made before the event.
We prearranged to the hotel a taxi.
We prearranged a taxi with the hotel.
The thing arranged is the direct object of 'prearrange'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For this sense, prearrange is stronger than arrange because it clearly marks that the details were fixed before the event itself. Plan is broader: you can plan a holiday in your head, but prearrange usually suggests practical steps such as transport, seats, or child care. Schedule mainly deals with putting something at a certain time, while prearrange can include other details besides time. Book is narrower again, and is mostly used for reserving rooms, tickets, or tables. A hotel might prearrange airport transport, but you would usually book a room. Remember it as the word for getting things set up early: prearrange the taxi, schedule the meeting, book the tickets.

arrange ↗plan ↗schedule ↗book ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • prearrange transport
  • prearrange a meeting
  • prearrange the details

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Prearrange was formed in English by adding the prefix pre-, meaning "before," to arrange. The word keeps the basic idea of arranging something, but adds the extra meaning that the organizing happened earlier, before the event or need itself.