equip
verb (used with object)
to supply with whatever gear or apparatus is needed for use or for any undertaking; fit out, as a ship or army.
equip
1 American
[ih-kwip]
/ ɪˈkwɪp /
verb (used with object)
-
equips,
present (3rd person singular)
-
equipped,
past participle, past
-
equipping
present participle
-
to supply with whatever gear or apparatus is needed for use or for any undertaking; fit out, as a ship or army.
They spent several thousand dollars to equip their boat.
-
to provide with intellectual or emotional resources; prepare.
Education and travel have equipped her to deal with all sorts of people.
-
to dress; array.
He equipped himself in all his finery.
equip.
2
American
abbreviation
equip
British
/ ɪˈkwɪp /
verb
-
to furnish with (necessary supplies, etc)
-
(usually passive) to provide with abilities, understanding, etc
her son was never equipped to be a scholar
-
to dress out; attire
Synonym Usage
See furnish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
equipsimple
-
equipssimple
-
have equippedperfect
-
has equippedperfect
-
am equippingprogressive
-
are equippingprogressive
-
is equippingprogressive
-
have been equippingperfect progressive
-
has been equippingperfect progressive
Past
-
equippedsimple
-
had equippedperfect
-
was equippingprogressive
-
were equippingprogressive
-
had been equippingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of equip
First recorded in 1515–25; from Middle French equiper, Old French esquiper “to fit out, equip,” probably from Old Norse skipa “to put in order, arrange, man (a ship)”
Explanation
To equip means to provide something needed for a particular purpose. If you’re planning a trip to the Arctic, you should equip yourself with warm clothes, tents, and two-way radios. You might want to equip someone with an ice axe for ice climbing and a diving watch for underwater excursions. The ice axe or the diving watch is their equipment. Equip can also be used in a more figurative sense. If you are supposed to write computer programs but have never worked with a computer, you might say that you are not equipped for that. On a really bad day, it might feel like people are not equipped to deal with each other politely.
Vocabulary lists containing equip
Chapter 24: World War I
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
President Obama's second inaugural address
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Vocabulary Review, Unit 6
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Everybody is on a different journey. What we want to do here is equip them, so that they’re ready when they do join,” Saint Juste said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
In 1922, Georgia’s governor credited Felton with having “all the qualities of heart and head that equip one for broad and constructive statesmanship.”
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
This week she has been calling for a nationwide "plan clim'" to equip all schools and hospitals with air-conditioning.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Siemens Energy will equip the platform with transmission technology, most from its German factories.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
He had made a raid one night on the Puttenham poultry farm, and now had feathers enough to equip a whole armoury.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
“But we can’t facilitate. We can educate. We can navigate. We can equip. We’ve got an entire educational library. July 1 didn’t just get here and go, ‘Okay, you figure this out.’
From Washington Post ● Jul. 22, 2021
Protect the Game is a nonprofit that trains and equips former members of the U.S. military.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Half of the Helios campus is leased to CoreWeave, which equips it, positioning Galaxy to capitalize on AI demand.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
The program equips families with books and technology like mobile hotspots.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
Bateman: What comedy equips you with is a comfort in playing flawed people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
There the emigrant rests on the way to his wilderness home; and the hunter equips himself before starting forth on some new expedition.
From The Hunters' Feast Conversations Around the Camp Fire by Reid, Mayne
"The weather isn't necessarily driving people out of summer weddings, but the weather will drive people out of venues that aren't equipped on an unpleasantly warm day."
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Rescuers equipped with geolocation devices have been dispatched to search for the missing climbers, the Alpine Club said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Your manager doesn’t seem equipped or willing to help.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
Dressing rooms are equipped with screens that display styling and sustainability information and also allow customers to request alternative styles and sizes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
In the summer of 1944, at last the 46th Guards were equipped with parachutes.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
In a written statement, Zito said he plans to create a “Christ-centered institution dedicated to educating, equipping, and sending leaders throughout America and the nations of the world.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
"The programme of equipping the Navy with nuclear weapons is following its planned course unerringly," Kim reportedly told the ceremony.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
By relaxing restrictions on arms exports, Japan hopes to revitalize its small defense industry and play a bigger role in regional security by equipping countries such as Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
Other measures include deploying drones to identify suspects, putting armoured vehicles on standby, and equipping all officers with riot gear.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
When the cost of caring for, feeding, and equipping the animals was added, it became more economical for people living in cities to rent horses from livery stables, much as people rent cars today.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
