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prop

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A support placed beneath or against something to keep it from shaking or falling.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

prahp
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɹɑp

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A support placed beneath or against something to keep it from shaking or falling

  2. An object placed against or under another, to support it; anything that supports.

  3. rugby

    The player on either side of the hooker in a scrum.

  4. Any of the seashells in the game of props.

  5. The propeller of an aircraft or boat.

  6. An item placed within an advertisement in order to suggest a style of living etc.

verb

  1. Support by placing against something solid or rigid

  2. transitiveusually with "up" - see prop up

    To position the feet of (a person) while sitting, lying down, or reclining so that the knees are elevated at a higher level.

  3. To manually start the engine of a propeller-driven aircraft with no electric starter by pulling vigorously on one of the propeller blades using the hands, so that the propeller can catch ignition.

  4. intransitiveAustraliaNew Zealand

    To stop suddenly or unexpectedly; derived from the situation where a horse might suddenly halt of its own accord, digging its front hooves into the ground to brace itself from forward movement, potentially unseating its rider.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
General and technical use

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A support placed beneath or against something to keep it from shaking or falling

Used this way, prop is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • airscrew , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use prop

  • “Before every scene he ran down his checklist of props.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

prop rootsmain propstage propreal proplast propchief propmouth prop

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • propsnounPlural form

    Proper respect.

  • properadjectiveInflected form

    Marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: support by placing against something solid or rigid

prop up

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.