PrEP
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Pre-exposure prophylaxis |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Medical, Writing & Everyday |
| Also written | prep. |
PrEP has two meanings. It stands for Pre-exposure prophylaxis (infectious disease) or Preposition (grammar and dictionary).
Meanings of PrEP at a glance
| # | PrEP stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pre-exposure prophylaxis | Medical › Infectious Disease |
| 2 | Preposition | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
1. Pre-exposure prophylaxis
Medical · Infectious Disease Abbreviations
HIV prevention method in which HIV-negative people take antiretroviral medicine before possible exposure, either as a daily pill or long-acting injection. Taken as prescribed, it reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent.
Example: Starting PrEP: HIV test negative, creatinine normal; emtricitabine/tenofovir daily with 3-month follow-up.
Pronounced "prep". The FDA approved emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil (Truvada) for PrEP in 2012; injectable cabotegravir every two months followed in 2021, and twice-yearly lenacapavir in 2025. Regular HIV and STI testing is part of PrEP care. The lowercase "r" distinguishes it from PREP and other acronyms.
2. Preposition (prep.)
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Identifies a word that links a noun or pronoun to the rest of the sentence, showing relations of place, time or direction, such as "in," "under," "during" or "toward."
Example: despite (prep.) without being affected by: "They played despite the rain."
The classroom rule against ending a sentence with a preposition is usually traced to the poet John Dryden in the 17th century and is rejected by modern usage authorities, including Merriam-Webster and Fowler. Some words, like "before," are labeled prep., adv. and conj. in different senses. Multiword prepositions such as "in spite of" are listed as phrases.
Related abbreviations
More infectious disease abbreviations
- PHN – Postherpetic neuralgia
- PLWH – People living with HIV
- PPD – Purified protein derivative (tuberculin skin test)
- PPSV23 – 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
- RMSF – Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- RSV – Respiratory syncytial virus
- RVP – Respiratory viral panel
- RZV – Recombinant zoster vaccine
See all 92 infectious disease abbreviations →
More grammar and dictionary abbreviations
- POS – Part of speech
- poss. – Possessive
- pp. – Past participle
- pred. – Predicative
- pres. – Present (tense)
- pron. – Pronoun
- refl. – Reflexive
- rel. – Relative
See all 93 grammar and dictionary abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.