Meaning & use
preppers
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“preppers” is a form of “prepper”.
Meaning
nounpluralinformal
people who prepare for emergencies such as natural disasters, war, or economic collapse by storing food, water, and supplies.
Grammar: Always plural in this form; use the singular "prepper" for one person.
Patterns
- preppers stock up on something
- preppers believe (that) ...
- a community of preppers
Preppers often keep months of canned food and bottled water at home.
After the storm, even people who had laughed at preppers started buying generators.
Some preppers build underground shelters in case of a major disaster.
Word forms
| singular | prepper |
|---|
Common combinations
- survival preppers
- Survival preppers share tips about purifying water.
- stock up like preppers
- My parents stock up like preppers before every winter.
- a community of preppers
- She joined an online community of preppers.
- preppers and survivalists
- The documentary follows preppers and survivalists across the country.
Synonyms and how they differ
- survivalists
- Very close in meaning, but survivalists often emphasize wilderness and combat skills, while preppers focus on stockpiling supplies.
- doomsday preppers
- A stronger, more dramatic term for people preparing for the end of the world; often used in headlines.
Word family
- prepper noun
- One person who prepares for emergencies.
- prep verb
- To get something ready; the base verb behind the word.
- prepping noun
- The activity of storing supplies and training for emergencies.
Commonly confused: preppers or preppies?
preppers vs preppies
Sounds similar but means students at expensive private schools who dress in a neat, traditional style.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses "preppers" correctly.
Choose one answer.
"Preppers" is a plural noun, so it takes the base verb "store." The other options mix singular and plural forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “preppers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.