1 B2 informal
To make someone or something fully ready for a procedure, event, or task.
"The nurses prepped up the patient before the surgeon arrived."
separable
prep up
B2 informal separable transitive/intransitive
Informal: to get something or someone fully prepared and ready for a task or event.
In plain English
To get everything ready for something that's about to happen.
What does "prep up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 informal
To prepare yourself thoroughly before an important event.
"I spent the whole weekend prepping up for the job interview."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
'Up' here suggests completing something to a finished or ready state — a common particle pattern in English phrasal verbs.
Actually means
To get everything ready for something that's about to happen.
Usage tip
Informal and conversational. Common in culinary, medical, and general professional contexts. Can be reflexive ('prep yourself up') or transitive ('prep up the patient'). More common in American English than British. Also used in disaster preparedness culture.
Words that pair with "prep up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
patient kitchen ingredients presentation room team
How to conjugate "prep up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
prep up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
preps up
he/she/it
Past simple
preped up
yesterday
Past participle
preped up
have + pp
-ing form
preping up
continuous
Hear "prep up" in the wild
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Other ways to say "prep up"
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