prefab

adjective

pre·fab | \ (ˌ)prē-ˈfab ,

ˈprē-ˌfab \

Definition of prefab

(Entry 1 of 2)

: produced by prefabrication : prefabricated a prefab house

prefab

noun

Definition of prefab (Entry 2 of 2)

: a prefabricated structure

Examples of prefab in a Sentence

Noun

The company sells hundreds of prefabs every year.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The 2,500-square-foot home, powered by solar panels, is built from a concrete skeleton and clad in prefab components made from local spruce. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Prefab modern lake house is powered by the sun," 5 July 2018 The famous developer William Levitt used some of the same prefab techniques in his Levittown houses. — Diana Budds, Curbed, "Why the U.S. government built three top-secret cities during WWII," 8 May 2018 The architect, now 45, came up with the design in 2010 as an efficient way to use the prefab concrete produced in his family’s factory to build homes affordable for the typical household. — J. S. Marcus, WSJ, "Where Luxury Meets a Prefab Home," 27 June 2018 While the McCormick House is clearly a one-of-a-kind structure, John McKinnon, the museum’s executive director, explained that originally it was intended as a prototype for prefab or modular housing. — Graydon Megan, chicagotribune.com, "Elmhurst Art Museum opens Mies van der Rohe exhibit," 11 June 2018 The two prefab modules have parts of their mass subtracted to create a double-height entryway and covered terrace. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Bright red prefab home could pass for a modern barn," 8 June 2018 People would move out of tent camps into simple prefab shelters, which could gradually be improved as people gained income from industries that would locate nearby. — Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times, "Trump is telling those who fled Haiti earthquake to leave the U.S. What will they go back to?," 28 May 2018 Cabin on the Border is constructed from laminated wood and polycarbonate and is powered by solar panels on the roof and features a rain catchment system—making this prefab cabin completely off-grid. — Lauren Ro, Curbed, "Tiny prefab cabin makes indoor-outdoor living a breeze," 14 May 2018 Better then, to simply take this extraordinary material in without fitting it into a prefab mold. — Edward Rothstein, WSJ, "An Awkward Trek Through Time at the Penn Museum," 14 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Not without drawbacks Just like every building method, prefab has its hassles. — Michele Lerner, sacbee, "Prefabs’ appeal is going up quickly," 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, "A less-is-more restoration of a Mies house expands our view of a little-known episode in the famed architect's career," 8 June 2018 The Fox station in Madison opted not to run the prefab script. — Sarah Hauer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Be MKE: Big bonuses for Kohl's execs, influencer marketing and new eats," 4 Apr. 2018 Less than 3 percent of housing starts in the United States in 2016 were some sort of prefab. — Julie Lasky, New York Times, "Prefab Finds a Home in Fire-Ravaged Neighborhoods of California," 5 Mar. 2018 In the early days of prefab, the designs were limited. — Sandy Deneau Dunham, The Seattle Times, "A Q&A on prefabricated homes," 7 June 2017 The architects, builders and manufacturers working with prefab are also top-notch. — Sandy Deneau Dunham, The Seattle Times, "A Q&A on prefabricated homes," 7 June 2017 Pricing is of course another major benefit of modern prefab. — Elizabeth Stamp, CNN, "The 'prefab' housing resurgence rolls on," 1 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prefab.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.