prop

noun

1. An object placed against or under another, to support it; anything that supports.

   “They stuck a block of wood under it as a prop.”

2. The player on either side of the hooker in a scrum.
3. Any of the seashells in the game of props.
4. An item placed on a stage or set to create a scene or scenario in which actors perform.

   “They used the trophy as a prop in the movie.”

5. An item placed within an advertisement in order to suggest a style of living etc.

   “You can use props in a literal way to enhance the story, such as shooting a woodworker amidst woodworking tools.”

6. The propeller of an aircraft or boat.
7. (US)A proposition, especially on an election-day ballot.

   “John Aubrey Douglass, a senior research fellow at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at Berkeley, said that while he was not an insider on admissions practices, “my sense is that admissions is highly regulated and careful to stay clear of Prop 209 restrictions, and the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action.””

   ““Watch how totally dishonest the California Prop vote is!” Trump fumed on Truth Social over the weekend.”

8. (abbreviation, alt-of, clipping)Clipping of propellant (“rocket fuel”).
9. (abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, informal)Clipping of proposition player.
10. (Internet)A part of a plant reared for its multiplication.
11. (slang, uncountable)Testosterone propionate.
12. (obsolete, slang)A blow; the act of striking someone.

    “There was some good counter hits, and then Foster received a prop on the nose which drew the claret.”

13. (obsolete)A scarf pin.
14. (abbreviation, alt-of, uncountable)Abbreviation of propylthiouracil.

verb

1. (figuratively, sometimes, transitive)To support or shore up something.

   “Try using a phone book to prop up the table where the foot is missing.”

2. (intransitive)To play rugby in the prop position.
3. (transitive, usually)To position the feet of (a person) while sitting, lying down, or reclining so that the knees are elevated at a higher level.
4. (Australia, New-Zealand, intransitive)To stop suddenly or unexpectedly; derived from the situation where a horse might suddenly halt of its own accord, digging its front hooves into the ground to brace itself from forward movement, potentially unseating its rider.
5. (UK, obsolete, slang, transitive)To knock (a person) down.

   “We used to go out into the roads (highway robbery) between races, and if we met an ‘old bloke’ (man) we ‘propped him’ (knocked him down), and robbed him.”

6. To manually start the engine of a propeller-driven aircraft with no electric starter by pulling vigorously on one of the propeller blades using the hands, so that the propeller can catch ignition.