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🎭 An actor's object 🪑 To support ✈️ A propeller 💻 A setting 🪑 A support
to prop

to prop

115 4.1
To hold something up by putting an object under or against it
  • verb
  • /prɑp/
: apoyar
  • Slowly, cautiously, he props himself up, his look following the sound of the mosquito.
  • try to prop
  • attempt to prop

And so they're distancing themselves from it to prop themselves up higher on the ladder.

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Examples

  • We gotta prop him up.

    ATM (2012)

  • Emma took her board from him to prop it against the wall.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • So you can take the screen, prop it forward.

  • Can you open this window for me and prop it with something?

    Relaxer (2019)

  • Well maybe we could prop it up with something.

    25 Hill (2011)

  • Prop it up on this corner.

    King Solomon's Mines (1985)

  • Lights swam in his eyes in the dark, and he had to prop himself against the wall.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • On the way to bed, she props two chairs against the basement door, just in case.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Ollie didn't say anything, and Sharon sat down on one chair, propping her feet on another.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Can you open this window for me and prop it with something?

Synonyms

to hold up
vsto prop
188 3.4

To support the weight of something so it does not fall

focuses on supporting by placement under or against rather than carrying
to rest
vsto prop
116 1.0

To put something on or against something so it stays steady

is an active, intentional placement under or against to prevent falling
to rest on
vsto prop
102 1.0

To put part of your body or an object on something for support

is the active act of placing an object to stop falling rather than passive contact
to support
vsto prop
73 1.0

Hold up something so it does not fall

is more about using a placed object specifically under or against
to prop up
vsto prop
65 3.6

Support something so it does not fall or fail

is limited to physical placement to keep something from falling
to shore
vsto prop
  • Specialized
56 7.1

To support a building or wall by placing a beam against it

is general physical support by placing objects under or against without repair focus
to shore up
vsto prop
50 5.4

Support a weak thing so it does not fall or fail

is about simple placement to hold position rather than reinforcing or repairing
to sustain
vsto prop
7 4.1

To hold up something heavy so it does not fall

is about a single physical placement to stop falling rather than ongoing support

Antonyms

to drop
∞ 1.0

To let something fall suddenly or by accident

Phrasal Verbs

to prop up
65 3.6

Support something so it does not fall or fail

to prop up the bar
  • Informal
1 8.8

To spend time at a bar drinking and talking with friends

Compounds

twin-prop
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A small plane with two propellers and engines used for short flights

prop wash
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A propeller or rotor pushes air backward that can shake things nearby

single prop
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A small plane with one propeller that people use for short flights

Prop H8
  • Offensive
1 9.8

An insulting name for the 2008 California vote that opposed same-sex marriage

double-prop
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A plane with an engine that turns two propellers in opposite directions to make it more stable

prop root
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A part of a plant that grows from the stem above ground and holds the plant in place

friction prop
  • Specialized
9.9

A temporary steel support that holds a roof when sliding tubes rub together

friction yielding prop
  • Specialized
9.4

A steel support post that slides to reduce pressure from the ground in mines or tunnels

mechanical yielding prop
  • Specialized
9.9

A steel support used in mines or tunnels that lets parts slide to take pressure safely

How Supported

to buttress
  • Specialized
2 7.3
to shore up
50 5.4
to support
73 1.0
to prop
115 4.1
to lean
590 1.5

Surface Forms

prop infinitive
propped past
propped past participle
propping present participle
props third person singular

Etymology

Prop (verb) comes from an old word meaning 'support' or a 'stick used to hold something up'. Think of the phrase prop up — to hold something in place — which is exactly why to prop something is to support it.