- to put at the disposal of; furnish or supply
- to afford; yield: this meeting provides an opportunity to talk
- (intransitive; often followed by for or against) to take careful precautions (over): she provided against financial ruin by wise investment
- (intransitive) followed by for: to supply means of support (to), esp financially: to provide for one's family
- to confer and induct into ecclesiastical offices
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
pro•vide /prəˈvaɪd/USA pronunciation
v., -vid•ed, -vid•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to make available;
furnish: [~ + object + for + object]to provide benefits for employees.[~ + object (+ with) + object]to provide employees (with) benefits. - to supply or equip: [~ + object + with + object]to provide the army with tanks.[~ + object + for + object]to provide tanks for the army.
- to supply means of support:[~ + for + object]They worked hard to provide for their children.
- to yield:[~ + object]This tree provides shelter.
- Law to stipulate, as by a provision:[~ + that clause]The contract provides that the writer will receive an additional payment if his book is made into a movie.
- to take measures in preparation for something:[no object]You must provide for winter in this harsh climate.
pro•vide
(prə vīd′),USA pronunciation v., -vid•ed, -vid•ing.
v.t.
v.i.
pro•vid′a•ble, adj.
v.t.
- to make available;
furnish:to provide employees with various benefits. - to supply or equip:to provide the army with new fighter planes.
- to afford or yield.
- Lawto arrange for or stipulate beforehand, as by a provision or proviso.
- [Archaic.]to prepare or procure beforehand.
v.i.
- to take measures with due foresight (usually fol. by for or against).
- to make arrangements for supplying means of support, money, etc. (usually fol. by for):He provided for his children in his will.
- to supply means of support (often fol. by for):to provide for oneself.
- Latin prōvidēre to foresee, look after, provide for, equivalent. to prō- pro-1 + vidēre to see
- late Middle English providen 1375–1425
- 1. give, render. 3. produce.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
provide /prəˈvaɪd/ vb (mainly tr)
'provide with' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
accoutre
- alibi
- apron
- armada
- arterialize
- back
- barb
- bench
- benefice
- berth
- border
- button
- cable
- calk
- canal
- canalize
- capitalize
- caption
- ceil
- chair
- clothe
- clue
- coal
- coat
- cover
- cowl
- cushion
- dado
- endow
- equip
- face
- fin
- fire
- fix
- gate
- glove
- grate
- haft
- head
- hem
- hood
- horn
- house
- invest
- joint
- key
- kit out
- loophole
- man
- margin