Meaning & use
pro
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Meanings
nouncountableinformal
A professional, especially in sports or a skilled job; an expert.
Grammar: Countable; often used in sports or informal contexts.
Patterns
- a pro at something
- turn pro
She turned pro after winning the national championship.
He's a pro at fixing computers.
nouncountableinformal
An argument or reason in favor of something.
Grammar: Countable; usually used in the plural 'pros' with 'cons'.
Patterns
- the pros and cons of something
We listed the pros and cons of moving to a new city.
One pro of working from home is saving on commuting time.
Word forms
| plural | pros |
|---|
Common combinations
- pro athlete
- He became a pro athlete at age 19.
- pros and cons
- Let's weigh the pros and cons before deciding.
- turn pro
- She decided to turn pro after college.
Synonyms and how they differ
- professional
- More formal; 'pro' is the informal short form.
- expert
- Focuses on skill; 'pro' also implies earning money from the activity.
- advantage
- Used in the phrase 'pros and cons'; 'pro' alone is less common.
Opposites
Word family
- professional adjective
- Relating to a job that requires special training.
- professional noun
- A person who works in a profession.
Commonly confused: pro or con?
pro vs con
'Pro' means in favor; 'con' means against. They are opposites in the phrase 'pros and cons'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pro' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The correct pattern is 'a pro at something'. The other prepositions ('of', 'for', 'to') do not fit this structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pro”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.