Word
pre
/ˈpɹi/
Definitions
01to drink before an event
v. to drink alcohol at home with friends before going out to a club, party, or bar.
v. to consume alcohol at a private residence prior to attending a primary social event or venue. Intransitive clipping of 'pre-drink'.
“We are going to pre at my flat before we head to the concert.”
“The students decided to pre at a nearby apartment to save money before heading into the city for the formal event.”
Slang · Informal · British English
Usage
Usually used as an intransitive verb without an object.
Synonyms
02drinks before an event
n. the drinks or the small party you have before going to a bigger event.
n. a social gathering involving alcohol consumption that occurs before the main event. Often used in the plural form 'pres'.
“Are you coming to pres at eight o'clock?”
“The atmosphere at pres was surprisingly quiet, as everyone was saving their energy for the club later that night.”
Slang · Informal · British English
Usage
Commonly used in the plural 'pres' to refer to the event itself.
Synonyms
03before
prep. a short way of saying 'before' a specific time or event.
prep. occurring or existing before a specified event or period. Often used in technical or academic contexts as a prefix or standalone shorthand.
“The pre-war buildings in this city are very beautiful.”
“The researcher noted that the patient's symptoms were significantly more manageable in the pre-treatment phase of the study.”
Academic · Technical
Usage
Frequently attached to nouns with a hyphen.
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“NHS dental activity is 8% lower than it was pre Covid, while six in 10 adults have not seen an NHS dentist in two years.” “Do you use your vehicle’s app to pre‑cool the cabin on a scorching day, confirm the doors are locked from bed, or have the car automatically call for help when the airbags go off?” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/pre