provider
Americannoun
-
a person or thing that provides.
-
a person who supports a family or another person.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of provider
Explanation
A provider is a person who gives someone something they need. If your parents both have jobs so they can feed you and buy you what you need, you can call them providers. Your mom's a provider if she works so she can care for you, put food on the table, and send you to school. There are other types of providers as well, although they all give you something you need, often a service. Your school is a provider of education, and the pharmacy around the corner is a provider of medication, makeup, and magazines. It's increasingly common to call your main doctor a "primary care provider."
Vocabulary lists containing provider
Father's Day Words
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!
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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!
"A Raisin in the Sun," "My Father is a Simple Man," and "My Mother Pieced Quilts"
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.
Ever Lovely had been stuck in the gulf for more than 100 days, according to financial data provider LSEG.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
“Anyone who knows Luis knows he is a devoted father and proud grandpa, a hardworking provider, a passionate soccer fan, and a man who has always put others before himself,” Romero wrote about his father.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026
Insurance companies are exposed to the embattled private-credit industry in more ways than one, according to a new report by Clearwater Analytics, a portfolio-management software provider.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026
That gap, together with falling sensor costs, will help determine whether the lasting margin sits with the vehicle maker, the autonomy provider or the ride-hailing network.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026
Certainly it was the emptiest of his threats, for he was nothing if not a provider and a bulwark.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
