prep

prep — noun

1. the work of getting ingredients ready for cooking, such as washing, chopping, an

1.nounB2
Definition

the work of getting ingredients ready for cooking, such as washing, chopping, and measuring, or the time this work takes.

Example

Marcus does all the prep on Sunday so weekday dinners are quick.

do + the prep collocation

The recipe takes only ten minutes of prep but an hour to bake.

prep as time measure: minutes of prep

Common collocations
  • food prep
  • meal prep
  • prep time
  • do the prep
  • minutes of prep
Synonyms
  • preparation

    the full, more formal noun; 'prep' is the casual short form

  • groundwork

    broader; refers to early stages of any task, not specifically cooking

Grammar Patterns

food prep

prep time

Usage Note

Frequently appears in compounds like 'prep time' and 'food prep', and after measure phrases ('ten minutes of prep'). Distinguish from sense 2: this one centres on cooking, not on getting people ready.

Common Mistakes

I made many preps for the dinner.
I did a lot of prep for the dinner.
uncountable; do not pluralise.

2. the things a person does to get themselves or someone else ready before an event

2.nounB2
Definition

the things a person does to get themselves or someone else ready before an event, test, or activity.

Example

Sarah spent two weeks on prep for her driving test.

prep for + event

Coach Diaz drilled the swimmers on race-day prep at the Tuesday team meeting.

Common collocations
  • exam prep
  • interview prep
  • prep for
  • do prep
  • race prep
Synonyms
  • preparation

    the longer, neutral form; 'prep' suits casual speech

  • training

    implies repeated practice; prep can be just one session

Grammar Patterns

prep for + event

Usage Note

Often used in compounds naming the event being prepared for: 'exam prep', 'interview prep', 'trial prep', 'race prep'. Distinguish from sense 1: this is about readying a person or team, not ingredients.

Common Mistakes

She did a prep for the exam.
She did some prep for the exam.
uncountable; use 'some' or 'a lot of', not 'a'.

3. a smaller race that a horse runs in to get fit and sharp before a big, important

3.noun
Definition

a smaller race that a horse runs in to get fit and sharp before a big, important race.

Example

The brown colt won his prep at Belmont by three lengths.

Most Derby horses run at least one prep in March.

run + a prep collocation

Common collocations
  • run a prep
  • win a prep
  • Derby prep
  • his last prep
Synonyms
  • warm-up race

    plainer everyday phrase for the same idea

  • trial

    broader sporting term; not limited to horses

Antonyms
  • main race

    the important race the prep is leading up to

Usage Note

Specialist horse-racing term; expect a horse subject and verbs like 'run', 'win', 'enter'. Often the noun appears with a possessive ('his prep', 'her last prep') showing which horse it belongs to.

4. study or written tasks that pupils, mostly at British private schools, finish at

4.noun
Definition

study or written tasks that pupils, mostly at British private schools, finish at home or after the school day ends.

Example

Lucy had two hours of prep every evening at her boarding school.

hours of prep collocation

The boys finished their prep before going down to dinner.

Common collocations
  • history prep
  • maths prep
  • do one's prep
  • evening prep
  • two hours of prep
Synonyms
  • homework

    everyday word, used in most schools and countries

  • assignment

    more formal; emphasises a specific task with a deadline

Usage Note

British boarding-school usage; in state schools and most American schools, the word is 'homework'. Often paired with a subject ('history prep', 'maths prep') or a time ('evening prep', 'two hours of prep').

Common Mistakes

My American school gave us lots of prep.
My American school gave us lots of homework.
this sense is mainly British private-school usage.

5. a short label used in dictionaries and grammar books for the word class 'preposi

5.noun
Definition

a short label used in dictionaries and grammar books for the word class 'preposition' (words like 'in', 'on', 'at').

Example

In the dictionary, 'between' is marked 'prep' to show its word class.

prep as label after a quoted word

Her grammar notes used 'prep' next to every word like 'on' or 'under'.

Common collocations
  • marked 'prep'
  • labelled prep
  • the 'prep' tag
Synonyms

Usage Note

Only seen in printed reference materials, dictionary entries, and grammar exercises. Rarely spoken aloud; if you read it, you usually say 'preposition' in full.

6. a daily pill that someone without HIV can take to stop them from catching the vi

6.noun
Definition

a daily pill that someone without HIV can take to stop them from catching the virus; short for 'pre-exposure prophylaxis'.

Example

Daniel has been on PrEP for three years and gets tested every six months.

be on PrEP fixed phrase

The clinic offers free PrEP to anyone at higher risk of HIV.

Common collocations
  • be on PrEP
  • start PrEP
  • PrEP user
  • PrEP clinic
  • free PrEP
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • PEP

    post-exposure prophylaxis, taken after possible HIV exposure

Usage Note

Almost always written 'PrEP' in capitals, since it is an initialism. Very common in fixed phrases: 'be on PrEP', 'start PrEP', 'PrEP user', 'PrEP clinic'. Strictly a medical, public-health context.

Common Mistakes

PrEP cures HIV.
PrEP helps prevent HIV.
it is taken before exposure to stop infection, not after to cure it.

prep — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

All five verbs cover the idea of putting something into a state where it can be used, but they sit at different points on the formality and scope scales. 'Prep' is the casual short form, common in kitchens, hospitals, film sets, and offices: 'I'll prep the salad.' 'Prepare' is the neutral, all-purpose verb you can use in any register, from a school essay to a wedding speech. 'Set up' focuses on arranging equipment, furniture, or a space — 'set up the projector', 'set up the chairs' — and rarely fits food. 'Ready' as a verb is more literary or formal: 'The crew readied the boat.' 'Arrange' stresses placing items in the right order or pattern, such as flowers on a table. Use 'prep' when the setting is informal and the action is hands-on; switch to 'prepare' for written or polite contexts.

prep ↗prepare ↗set up ↗ready ↗arrange ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • do the prep
  • be on PrEP
  • prep time
  • prep school
  • meal prep

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Prep' began life in the early 1800s as a clipped form of 'preparation' and 'preparatory', first used in British school slang for the homework done after the regular school day. By the late 1800s the verb 'to prep' appeared in American English, meaning to attend a preparatory school or to coach someone for an exam. From there it spread to horse racing (a 'prep' race), then to medicine (prepping a patient for surgery) in the early 1900s, and finally to professional kitchens and home cooking in the late 1900s. The HIV-prevention meaning, written 'PrEP', is a separate twenty-first-century initialism standing for 'pre-exposure prophylaxis' that happens to share the same spelling.