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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

prop.

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

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/pɹɒp/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɑp/General-American, dialectal/pɹɒp/Canada, dialectal/pɹɔp/Australia
  1. An object placed against or under another, to support it; anything that supports.

    They stuck a block of wood under it as a prop.
  2. The player on either side of the hooker in a scrum.

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

Where this word comes from

From Middle English proppe (“a prop, support, support for a vine or plant”), from Middle Dutch proppe (“support, support for a vine, stopper for a bottle”). Compare Middle Low German proppe (“plug, stopper”), German Pfropfen (“plug”), Danish prop (“plug, stopper”).

verb/pɹɒp/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɑp/General-American, dialectal/pɹɒp/Canada, dialectal/pɹɔp/Australia
  1. To support or shore up something.

    figuratively · sometimes · transitive
    Try using a phone book to prop up the table where the foot is missing.
  2. To play rugby in the prop position.

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

    transitive · usually
  4. 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.

    Australia · New-Zealand · intransitive
  5. To knock (a person) down.

    UK · obsolete · slang · transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle English proppe (“a prop, support, support for a vine or plant”), from Middle Dutch proppe (“support, support for a vine, stopper for a bottle”). Compare Middle Low German proppe (“plug, stopper”), German Pfropfen (“plug”), Danish prop (“plug, stopper”).

noun/pɹɒp/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɑp/General-American, dialectal/pɹɒp/Canada, dialectal/pɹɔp/Australia
  1. An item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform.

    They used the trophy as a prop in the movie.
  2. An item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform. A fake or fabricated version of an object, whether or not it is used for a scene.

    colloquial
    We threw a prop squirrel off of a tower.
  3. An item placed within an advertisement in order to suggest a style of living etc.

Where this word comes from

Clipping of property.

noun/pɹɒp/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɑp/General-American, dialectal/pɹɒp/Canada, dialectal/pɹɔp/Australia
  1. The propeller of an aircraft or boat.

Where this word comes from

Clipping of propeller.

verb/pɹɒp/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɑp/General-American, dialectal/pɹɒp/Canada, dialectal/pɹɔp/Australia
  1. 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.

Where this word comes from

Clipping of propeller.

noun/pɹɒp/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɑp/General-American, dialectal/pɹɒp/Canada, dialectal/pɹɔp/Australia
  1. A proposition, especially on an election-day ballot.

    US
Where this word comes from

Clipping of proposition.

noun/pɹɒp/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɑp/General-American, dialectal/pɹɒp/Canada, dialectal/pɹɔp/Australia
  1. A part of a plant reared for its multiplication.

    Internet
Where this word comes from

Clipping of propagation.

noun/pɹɒp/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɑp/General-American, dialectal/pɹɒp/Canada, dialectal/pɹɔp/Australia
  1. Testosterone propionate.

    slang · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Clipping of testosterone propionate.

noun/pɹɒp/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɑp/General-American, dialectal/pɹɒp/Canada, dialectal/pɹɔp/Australia
  1. A blow; the act of striking someone.

    obsolete · slang
  2. A scarf pin.

    obsolete
noun/pɹɒp/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɑp/General-American, dialectal/pɹɒp/Canada, dialectal/pɹɔp/Australia
  1. Clipping of propellant (“rocket fuel”).

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping
noun/pɹɒp/Received-Pronunciation/pɹɑp/General-American, dialectal/pɹɒp/Canada, dialectal/pɹɔp/Australia
  1. Clipping of proposition player.

    abbreviation · alt-of · clipping · informal
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.