Prepper
A person who has prepared for catastrophe
Example
After covid, I decided I should be a prepper. You never know when the next emergency might strike
Honestly, I'm thinking about buying some backup supplies, too
Related Slang
ICE | In case of emergency |
JIC | Just in case |
BLS | Basic life support |
Adulting | Acting like an adult |
bup | Backup Plan |
HMP | Help me, please |
A prepper is a person who has proactively prepared for one or more catastrophic emergencies, such as a natural disaster, long-term power outage, civil collapse, or nuclear attack. These people, who may also be referred to as survivalists, have stockpiled supplies, hardened their homes (or other shelters), and taken other actions to become largely self-sufficient, should something terrible come to pass.
Often, you'll see prepper used as part of the phrase doomsday prepper. These preppers are preparing specifically for society-shaking scenarios that would cause the pillars of human civilization, which most people depend on, to come crashing down. For example, a doomsday prepper may possess an underground bunker stocked with years' worth of food, water, and other supplies - allowing them to survive several doomsday-level scenarios (at least, for a while).
However, there are plenty of preppers whose prepping isn't quite so large-scale (or intense). For example, someone who has stockpiled just a couple weeks' worth of canned food and bottled water, in case the power goes out or pipes burst, may refer to themself as a prepper.