: a prefabricated structure
Examples of prefab in a Sentence
Noun
The company sells hundreds of prefabs every year.
Recent Examples on the Web
Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2023
Restaurants camp in prefab buildings outside the town walls.
—Julia Buckley, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2023
The prefab clubhouse, where Real Bedford supporters gather at halftime, is fenced into an area in the corner of the complex, shared with a boxing gym and a workout studio.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2023
Mass timber is also produced in prefab panels, which means it can be milled to the specific dimensions of a project, thereby limiting waste, staging and construction times.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2023
But Take Note: Some assembly is required, a step some may want to avoid altogether with a prefab option instead.
—Alesandra Dubin, Parents, 31 July 2023
Nostalgic for prefab homes?Sears pioneered the modern prefab house in the early 20th century: Look back at 'kit homes' How long do most people stay unemployed?
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 5 June 2023
The Chula Vista Village at Otay In Chula Vista, what was once a vacant lot on 27th Street adjacent to the Otay Valley Regional Park is now a community of 65 white, prefab shelter units that will serve as bridge housing for homeless people.
—Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2023
Meanwhile, the range of prefab designs is expanding quickly as the number of prefab manufacturers grows.
—Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2023
Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2023
Most prefabs are installed on top of a slab or strip foundation to support the structure and avoid corrosion from water.
—House Beautiful, 5 Apr. 2023
Yes, Musk is now apparently living in a 375-square-foot prefab guest house in Texas.
—Alissa Walker, Curbed, 7 July 2021
That's where this truck would be happy, on the open road, stoically towing a gigantic prefab shed or a yacht.
—Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, 22 July 2019
Connor Mill-Built Homes constructs prefabs with historically accurate exteriors but all the necessities of modern living.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 27 June 2019
Marius Barstad, a Norwegian plastic surgeon, and his wife, Bente Eger, a sales agent for a fashion company, gave a humdrum 1970s prefab, perched on the edge of Oslo’s inner fjord, a radical makeover.
—J.s. Marcus, WSJ, 3 Oct. 2018
Not without drawbacks Just like every building method, prefab has its hassles.
—Michele Lerner, sacbee, 29 June 2018
High steel prices and a lack of practicality may have hindered them; the prefabs, like the McCormick House, would have had no attic or basement.
—Blair Kamin, chicagotribune.com, 8 June 2018
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Adjective
This includes a reissue of the Little Toy — basically, prefab architecture for kids.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2023
Restaurants camp in prefab buildings outside the town walls.
—Julia Buckley, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2023
The prefab clubhouse, where Real Bedford supporters gather at halftime, is fenced into an area in the corner of the complex, shared with a boxing gym and a workout studio.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2023
Mass timber is also produced in prefab panels, which means it can be milled to the specific dimensions of a project, thereby limiting waste, staging and construction times.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2023
But Take Note: Some assembly is required, a step some may want to avoid altogether with a prefab option instead.
—Alesandra Dubin, Parents, 31 July 2023
Nostalgic for prefab homes?Sears pioneered the modern prefab house in the early 20th century: Look back at 'kit homes' How long do most people stay unemployed?
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 5 June 2023
The Chula Vista Village at Otay In Chula Vista, what was once a vacant lot on 27th Street adjacent to the Otay Valley Regional Park is now a community of 65 white, prefab shelter units that will serve as bridge housing for homeless people.
—Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2023
Meanwhile, the range of prefab designs is expanding quickly as the number of prefab manufacturers grows.
—Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2023
Noun
Michaelo pushed back on the idea that prefabs were a radical departure from the construction business.
—Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2023
Most prefabs are installed on top of a slab or strip foundation to support the structure and avoid corrosion from water.
—House Beautiful, 5 Apr. 2023
Yes, Musk is now apparently living in a 375-square-foot prefab guest house in Texas.
—Alissa Walker, Curbed, 7 July 2021
That's where this truck would be happy, on the open road, stoically towing a gigantic prefab shed or a yacht.
—Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, 22 July 2019
Connor Mill-Built Homes constructs prefabs with historically accurate exteriors but all the necessities of modern living.
—Dan Neil, WSJ, 27 June 2019
Marius Barstad, a Norwegian plastic surgeon, and his wife, Bente Eger, a sales agent for a fashion company, gave a humdrum 1970s prefab, perched on the edge of Oslo’s inner fjord, a radical makeover.
—J.s. Marcus, WSJ, 3 Oct. 2018
Not without drawbacks Just like every building method, prefab has its hassles.
—Michele Lerner, sacbee, 29 June 2018
High steel prices and a lack of practicality may have hindered them; the prefabs, like the McCormick House, would have had no attic or basement.
—Blair Kamin, chicagotribune.com, 8 June 2018
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prefab.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near prefab
Cite this Entry
“Prefab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prefab. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
prefab
noun
pre·fab
(ˈ)prē-ˈfab,
ˈprē-ˌfab
: a prefabricated structure
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