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.
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
See furnish.
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)”
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.
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!
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!
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!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s a fundraiser for the Catching Hope foundation, launched by Smith and his wife to equip at-risk youth with skills in leadership and self-sufficiency.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Donald Trump’s executive order to promote AI in schools argued that the tech “sparks curiosity and creativity” and “will equip our students with the foundational knowledge and skills.”
From Salon • Mar. 30, 2026
"We need to equip schools, we need to equip teachers, we need to equip young people so this is a natural conversation that's being had."
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
As is the case with Tesla and its Full Self-Driving subscription, Rivian doesn’t equip all cars with the company’s advanced driver-assistance system.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026
Nobody thought to lash bungee cords to the animal’s legs, or maybe equip it with a parachute.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
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.
