Meaning & use
prebook
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Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitive
Reserve a seat, ticket, room or service well before you need it.
Grammar: Takes an object: prebook a table; or stands alone: it is wise to prebook.
Patterns
- prebook something
- prebook something for someone
We prebooked a table because the restaurant is always full on Saturdays.
You can prebook your airport parking online and save money.
It is cheaper if you prebook.
Word forms
| third person singular | prebooks |
|---|---|
| past tense | prebooked |
| past participle | prebooked |
| -ing form | prebooking |
Common combinations
- prebook a ticket
- Visitors can prebook a ticket to skip the line.
- prebook online
- It is easy to prebook online.
- prebook a table
- Please prebook a table for large groups.
- prebook a taxi
- I prebooked a taxi for five in the morning.
- prebook in advance
- Prebook in advance during peak season.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reserve
- Reserve is the common word for holding a table or seat, while prebook stresses that the booking is made earlier than usual.
- book
- Book is the ordinary verb and does not by itself say how far ahead, whereas prebook stresses early planning.
- schedule
- Schedule means to set a time for something, while prebook means to secure a place or service.
- secure
- Secure suggests making sure of getting something scarce, and it sounds more formal than prebook.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: prebook or rebook?
prebook vs rebook
Rebook means to book again for a new time, while prebook means to book earlier than you need.
Practice
Why might someone prebook a museum ticket?
Choose one answer.
Prebooking means securing the ticket earlier, which saves queuing. The other options describe cancelling, returning or changing a booking, not booking ahead.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “prebook”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.