# What Does Prepone Mean? Simple Tech English Guide (2026)

> Prepone means to move a meeting or event to an earlier time; it is the opposite of postpone and is used mainly in Indian English.

- **Term:** prepone
- **Part of speech:** verb
- **Pronunciation:** /priːˈpoʊn/
- **English level (CEFR):** B1
- **Register:** Neutral, Both
- **Topic:** [Meeting phrases](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/topics/meeting-phrases.md)
- **Lesson:** https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/prepone
- **Last updated:** 2026-10-27

## Meaning

Prepone means to move a meeting or event to an earlier time; it is the opposite of postpone and is used mainly in Indian English.

"Can we prepone the call to 3 pm?" is perfectly normal in India, and the word is in Indian English dictionaries. Colleagues in the US, UK or Europe may not know it, though, and could be confused. With them, say "move it earlier", "bring it forward" or "move it up". Knowing both versions helps you sound natural with every team.

## When you hear it

Your Indian colleague asks to "prepone tomorrow's demo", and your US manager asks what that means.

## Examples

- **with an Indian team:** "The client wants to prepone the review to Thursday."
- **with a US team:** "Could we move the sync up to 10 am?"
- **with a UK team:** "Would it be possible to bring the meeting forward to Monday?"

## What native speakers say

- "Can we prepone the meeting to 11?"
- "Could we bring the call forward by an hour?"
- "Let's move the demo up to Tuesday."

## Common mistakes

- ✗ "Can we prepone the meeting? (to a US client)" → ✓ "Can we move the meeting earlier?" (Many people outside India do not know prepone.)
- ✗ "Let's prepone the meeting to next week. (when it was this week)" → ✓ "Let's postpone the meeting to next week." (Prepone means earlier; postpone means later.)
- ✗ "We preponed it later." → ✓ "We preponed it. / We moved it earlier." (Prepone already means earlier.)

## Be careful

Prepone may confuse colleagues outside South Asia. Use bring forward or move up with them.

## Word forms

| Part of speech | Word | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| past | preponed | The release was preponed by two days. |
| global alternative | bring forward | Can we bring the call forward? |
| US alternative | move up | Let's move the meeting up. |


## Collocations

- **prepone the meeting**: move it earlier
- **prepone by an hour / a day**: how much earlier
- **prepone to + time**: the new, earlier time

## Synonyms

- **bring forward**: UK and global
- **move up**: US
- **move earlier**: clear everywhere

## Opposites

- postpone
- push back
- delay

## Practice

This lesson has 4 practice exercises with instant feedback on the page: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/prepone

## FAQ

### What does prepone mean?

To move something to an earlier time. It is the opposite of postpone.

### Is prepone a real English word?

Yes, in Indian English it is standard and appears in dictionaries. It is rarely used in US or UK English.

### What can I say instead of prepone?

"Bring forward" (UK), "move up" (US) or simply "move earlier".

### What is the opposite of prepone?

"Postpone", "push back" or "delay".


## Related

- [agenda](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/agenda.md)
- [calendar block](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/calendar-block.md)
- [deadline](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/deadline.md)
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