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prop

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: PROP, Prop., and prop-

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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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”). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Also, is the rugby sense from this etymology, from the other, or from a third?”)

Noun

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prop (plural props)

  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. (rugby) The player on either side of the hooker in a scrum.
  3. Any of the seashells in the game of props.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Verb

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prop (third-person singular simple present props, present participle propping, simple past and past participle propped)

  1. (transitive, sometimes figurative) To support or shore up something.
    Try using a phone book to prop up the table where the foot is missing.
  2. (intransitive) To play rugby in the prop position.
  3. (transitive, usually 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.
  4. (intransitive, Australia, New 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.
  5. (transitive, UK, slang, obsolete) To knock (a person) down.
    • 1851, Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor, published 1861:
      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.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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Clipping of property.

Noun

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prop (plural props)

  1. (theater, film) 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 within an advertisement in order to suggest a style of living etc.
    • 2006, Michael Grecco, Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait, Amphoto Books, →ISBN, page 109:
      You can use props in a literal way to enhance the story, such as shooting a woodworker amidst woodworking tools.
Usage notes
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  • In stagecraft, usually the term prop is reserved for an object with which an actor or performer interacts, such as a glass, a book, or a weapon. Larger items adding to the scene, such as chairs, are considered part of the set.
  • Props are often non-functional. A prop that is required to function is a "practical" prop, or simply a "practical".
    • When used like an adjective (prop sword, prop gun) the implication is that it is non-functional
Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 3

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Clipping of propeller.

Noun

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prop (plural props)

  1. The propeller of an aircraft or boat.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Verb

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prop (third-person singular simple present props, present participle propping, simple past and past participle propped)

  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.
Derived terms
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Etymology 4

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Clipping of proposition.

Noun

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prop (plural props)

  1. (US politics) A proposition, especially on an election-day ballot.
    • 2025 February 3, Anemona Hartocollis, “The University of California Increased Diversity. Now It’s Being Sued.”, in The New York Times‎[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 4 February 2025:
      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.”
    • 2025 October 27, Russell Berman, quoting Donald Trump, “‘California Is Allowed to Hit Back’”, in The Atlantic‎[2], archived from the original on 4 November 2025:
      “Watch how totally dishonest the California Prop vote is!” Trump fumed on Truth Social over the weekend.
Derived terms
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Etymology 5

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Noun

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prop (plural props)

  1. (astronautics) Clipping of propellant (“rocket fuel”).
Derived terms
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Etymology 6

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Noun

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prop (plural props)

  1. (gambling, informal) Clipping of proposition player.

Etymology 7

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Clipping of propagation.

Noun

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prop (plural props)

  1. (Internet slang) A part of a plant reared for its multiplication.
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Etymology 8

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    Clipping of testosterone propionate.

    Noun

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    prop (uncountable)

    1. (bodybuilding slang) Testosterone propionate.
      Synonym: test prop

    Etymology 9

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    (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

    Noun

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    prop (plural props)

    1. (obsolete, slang) A blow; the act of striking someone.
      • 1899, Eden Phillpotts, The Human Boy Again:
        There was some good counter hits, and then Foster received a prop on the nose which drew the claret.
    2. (obsolete, thieves' cant) A scarf pin.
    References
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    • John Camden Hotten (1873), The Slang Dictionary

    Anagrams

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    Catalan

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    Etymology

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    Inherited from Old Catalan prop, from Latin prope.

    Pronunciation

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    Adverb

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    prop

    1. (especially after "a") near, nearby
      No el vull a prop meu ― I don't want him near me
    2. (followed by "de") near to
      Ja devem ser prop del mar ― Now we must be near to the sea
    3. (followed by "de") about, around, roughly
      Fa prop de tres-cents anys ― It was about three hundred years ago

    Derived terms

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    Further reading

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    Dutch

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    Etymology

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    Inherited from Middle Dutch proppe. Further etymology unknown.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    prop f or m (plural proppen, diminutive propje n)

    1. a swab, plug made of paper, cloth, slime or some other suitable material
    2. a piece of paper or similar which has been crumpled into a ball-like shape, usually though not necessarily with the intent of throwing it away; a wad of paper
    3. (in compounds) an embolism

    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    • → Betawi: perup
    • → Indonesian: prop
    • → Papiamentu: pròp

    Verb

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    prop

    1. inflection of proppen:
      1. first-person singular present indicative
      2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
      3. imperative

    Indonesian

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    Pronunciation

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    Etymology 1

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    Unadapted borrowing from Dutch prop.

    Noun

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    prop (plural prop-prop)

    1. (colloquial) cork plug

    Etymology 2

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    From English prop (“property”), or a clipping of properti.

    Noun

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    prop (plural prop-prop)

    1. (art) property, an item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform

    Further reading

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    Manado Malay

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    Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from Dutch prop (“cork plug”), from Middle Dutch proppe.

    Noun

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    prop

    1. cork plug

    References

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    • Balai Bahasa Provinsi Sulawesi Utara (2021), Kamus Dwibahasa Melayu Manado-Indonesia (in Indonesian), Manado: Balai Bahasa Provinsi Sulawesi Utara

    Welsh

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from English prop.[1]

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    prop

    1. prop, support
    2. (film, theater) prop
    3. (rugby) prop

    Derived terms

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    Mutation

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    Mutated forms of prop
    radical soft nasal aspirate
    prop brop mhrop phrop

    Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
    All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

    References

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    1. ^ R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “prop”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
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