prop1

noun

• 1a pole or beam used as a temporary support or to keep something in position:he looked around for a prop to pin the door open
• a person or thing that is a major source of support or assistance:he found himself becoming the emotional prop of the marriage
• Grammar a word used to fill a syntactic role without any specific meaning of its own, for example it in it is raining.

• 2 (also prop forward) Rugby a forward at either end of the front row of a scrum.

• 3chiefly Australian a sudden stop made by a horse moving at speed.

verb (props, propping, propped)

• 1 [with object and adverbial of place] support or keep in position:she propped her chin in the palm of her right hand
• lean (something) against something else:a jug of milk with a note propped against it she propped the picture up on the mantlepiece
• use an object to keep (something) in position:he found that the door was propped open

• 2 [no object] chiefly Australian (of a horse) come to a dead stop with the forelegs rigid.