pro
UK /pɹəʊ/ · US /pɹoʊ/ noun, preposition, adjective, proper noun
Forms pros
- noun An advantage of something, especially when contrasted with its disadvantages (cons). “What are the pros and cons of buying a car?”
- noun A person who supports a concept or principle.
- preposition In favor of. “He is pro exercise but against physical exertion, quite a conundrum.”
- noun A professional sportsman.
- noun (colloquial) Professional. “When it comes to DIY, he's a real pro.”
- adjective Professional. “He landed a pro mentorship gig.”
- noun (slang) A prostitute.
- noun (UK, slang, archaic) A proproctor.
- noun (slang, historical) A chemical prophylaxis taken after sex to avoid contracting venereal disease.
- proper noun A surname from Spanish.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Late Middle English pro, from Latin prō (“on behalf of”).
Clipping of professional.
Clipping of prostitute.
Clipping of proproctor.
Webster’s 1913
- preposition A Latin preposition signifying for, before, forth. Pro confesso Etym: [L.] (Law), taken as confessed. The action of a court of equity on that portion of the pleading in a particular case which the pleading on the other side does not deny.
- adverb For, on, or in behalf of, the affirmative side; --in contrast with Ant: con. Pro and con, for and against, on the affirmative and on the negative side; as, they debated the question pro and con; --formerly used also as a verb.
Etymology [L.; akin to prae before, Gr. for. See For, prep., and cf. Prior, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pro”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details