prop — English Dictionary

Noun

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

   Synonyms

   shore

   Examples

   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.

Verb

1. To support or shore up something.

   Usage

   • Figurative
   • sometimes
   • Transitive

   Examples

   Try using a phone book to prop up the table where the foot is missing.

2. To play rugby in the prop position.

   Usage

   • 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.

   Usage

   • Transitive
   • usually
   • with "up" - see prop up

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.

   Usage

   • Australia
   • New-Zealand
   • Intransitive

5. To knock (a person) down.

   Usage

   • UK usage
   • Obsolete
   • Slang
   • Transitive

   Examples

   We used to go out into the roads (highway robbery) between races, and if we met an ‘old bloke’ (man) we ‘propped him’ (knocked him down), and robbed him.

Noun

1. An item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform.

   Examples

   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.

   Usage

   • Colloquial

   Examples

   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.

   Examples

   You can use props in a literal way to enhance the story, such as shooting a woodworker amidst woodworking tools.

Noun

1. The propeller of an aircraft or boat.

Verb

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.

Noun

1. A proposition, especially on an election-day ballot.

   Usage

   • US usage

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   John Aubrey Douglass, a senior research fellow at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at Berkeley, said that while he was not an insider on admissions practices, “my sense is that admissions is highly regulated and careful to stay clear of Prop 209 restrictions, and the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action.”

   “Watch how totally dishonest the California Prop vote is!” Trump fumed on Truth Social over the weekend.

Noun

1. A part of a plant reared for its multiplication.

   Usage

   • Internet

   Related words

   proplifting

Noun

1. Testosterone propionate.

   Usage

   • Slang
   • Uncountable

   Synonyms

   test prop

Noun

1. A blow; the act of striking someone.

   Usage

   • Obsolete
   • Slang

   Examples

   There was some good counter hits, and then Foster received a prop on the nose which drew the claret.

2. A scarf pin.

   Usage

   • Obsolete

Noun

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

   Broader terms

   support

2. any movable articles or objects used on the set of a play or movie

   Synonyms

   property

   Broader terms

   objectphysical object

   Examples

   before every scene he ran down his checklist of props

3. a propeller that rotates to push against air

   Synonyms

   airplane propellerairscrew

   Broader terms

   propellerpropellor

Verb

1. support by placing against something solid or rigid

   Synonyms

   prop upshore upshore

   Broader terms

   holdsupportsustainhold up

   Examples

   shore and buttress an old building