2 PHRASE If an animal is on the prowl , it is hunting. If a person is on the prowl , they are hunting for something such as a sexual partner or a business deal. □ Their fellow travellers are a mix of single girls on the prowl and elderly couples. □ [+ for ] The new administration are on the prowl for ways to reduce spending.
prowl|er /praʊ lə r / (prowlers ) N‑COUNT A prowler is someone who secretly follows people or hides near their houses, especially at night, in order to steal something, frighten them, or perhaps harm them.
prox|im|ity /prɒks I m I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft in N ] Proximity to a place or person is nearness to that place or person. [FORMAL ] □ [+ to ] Part of the attraction is Darwin's proximity to Asia. □ [+ to ] Families are no longer in close proximity to each other. [Also + of ]
proxy /prɒ ksi/ N‑UNCOUNT [usu by N ] If you do something by proxy , you arrange for someone else to do it for you. □ Those not attending the meeting may vote by proxy.
Pro|zac /proʊ zæk/ N‑UNCOUNT Prozac is a drug that is used to treat people who are suffering from depression. [TRADEMARK ]
prude /pruː d/ (prudes ) N‑COUNT If you call someone a prude , you mean that they are too easily shocked by things relating to sex. [DISAPPROVAL ]
pru|dence /pruː d ə ns/ N‑UNCOUNT Prudence is care and good sense that someone shows when making a decision or taking action. [FORMAL ] □ A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.
pru|dent /pruː d ə nt/ ADJ Someone who is prudent is sensible and careful. □ It is always prudent to start any exercise programme gradually at first. □ Being a prudent and cautious person, you realise that the problem must be resolved. ● pru|dent|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □ Prudently, Joanna spoke none of this aloud.
prud|ery /pruː dəri/ N‑UNCOUNT Prudery is prudish behaviour or attitudes. [DISAPPROVAL ]
prud|ish /pruː d I ʃ/ ADJ If you describe someone as prudish , you mean that they are too easily shocked by things relating to sex. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ I'm not prudish but I think these photographs are obscene. ● prud|ish|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ Older people will have grown up in a time of greater sexual prudishness.
prune /pruː n/ (prunes , pruning , pruned )
1 N‑COUNT A prune is a dried plum.
2 VERB When you prune a tree or bush, you cut off some of the branches so that it will grow better the next year. □ [V n] You have to prune a bush if you want fruit. □ [V ] There is no best way to prune. ● PHRASAL VERB Prune back means the same as prune . □ [be V -ed P ] Apples, pears and cherries can be pruned back when they've lost their leaves. [Also V n P ]
3 VERB If you prune something, you cut out all the parts that you do not need. □ [V n] Firms are cutting investment and pruning their product ranges. ● PHRASAL VERB Prune back means the same as prune . □ [V P n] The company has pruned back its workforce by 20,000 since 1989.
▸ prune back → see prune 2 , prune 3
pru|ri|ence /prʊə riəns/ N‑UNCOUNT Prurience is a strong interest that someone shows in sexual matters. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ Nobody ever lost money by overestimating the public's prurience.
pru|ri|ent /prʊə riənt/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe someone as prurient , you mean that they show too much interest in sexual matters. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ We read the gossip written about them with prurient interest.
pry /pra I / (pries , prying , pried )
1 VERB If someone pries , they try to find out about someone else's private affairs, or look at their personal possessions. □ [V + into ] We do not want people prying into our affairs. □ [V ] Imelda might think she was prying. □ [V -ing] She thought she was safe from prying eyes and could do as she wished.
2 VERB If you pry something open or pry it away from a surface, you force it open or away from a surface. □ [V n with adj] They pried open a sticky can of blue paint. □ [V n prep] I pried the top off a can of chilli. □ [V n with adv] Prying off the plastic lid, she took out a small scoop.
3 VERB If you pry something such as information out of someone, you persuade them to tell you although they may be very unwilling to. [mainly AM ] □ [V n + from/out of ] They impersonated reporters to pry personal records from phone companies. in BRIT, usually use prize
PS /piː e s/ also P.S. You write PS to introduce something that you add at the end of a letter after you have signed it. □ PS. Please show your friends this letter and the enclosed leaflet.
psalm /sɑː m/ (psalms ) N‑COUNT The Psalms are the 150 songs, poems, and prayers which together form the Book of Psalms in the Bible. □ He recited a verse of the twenty-third psalm.
pse|pholo|gist /s I fɒ lədʒ I st, [AM ] siː-/ (psephologists ) N‑COUNT A psephologist studies how people vote in elections.
pseud /sjuː d/ (pseuds ) N‑COUNT If you say that someone is a pseud , you mean that they are trying to appear very intellectual but you think that they appear silly. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ]
PREFIX pseudo-
forms nouns and adjectives that refer to something that is not really what it seems or claims to be. For example, a pseudo-science is something that claims to be a science, but is not.