configure
Americanverb (used with object)
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configures,
present (3rd person singular)
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configured,
past participle, past
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configuring
present participle
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to design or adapt to form a specific configuration or for some specific purpose.
The planes are being configured to hold more passengers in each row.
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Computers.
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to put together (a computer or computer system) by supplying, arranging, or connecting a specific set of internal or external components.
My next laptop will be configured for gaming with a fast processor and lots of memory.
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to set up (a software program or device) for a particular computer, computer system, or task.
to configure the printer for a wireless network.
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verb
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to arrange or organize
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computing to set up (a piece of hardware or software) as required
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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configuresimple
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configuressimple
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have configuredperfect
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has configuredperfect
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am configuringprogressive
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are configuringprogressive
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is configuringprogressive
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have been configuringperfect progressive
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has been configuringperfect progressive
Past
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configuredsimple
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had configuredperfect
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was configuringprogressive
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were configuringprogressive
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had been configuringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of configure
Back formation from configuration
Vocabulary lists containing configure
Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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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:
After considering how he would configure an important device for their research, he delivered his verdict: “completely perfect.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"Thanks to this work, we're able to be way ahead of airflow issues, predict what will happen, and configure ventilation controls in the right manner."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
To configure an ExpressVPN connection on your router, you have three options:
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2026
Depending on how Slot chooses to configure the full-back roles this summer, with a potential replacement for Robertson also needed, there are a few players worth considering for Liverpool.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2025
Guys like Dr. Strayer were hired to figure out how to configure networks and displays so that the information was useful and life- preserving—not overwhelming and deadly.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
The Genesis GV70 boasts active-noise cancellation in the cabin and a fingerprint scanner that configures the car for whoever is behind the wheel.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2024
GoBubble is a company that configures AI software to act as a filter to stop discriminatory comments from being seen by a social media user.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 6, 2023
Noe installs and configures software on home computers.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 22, 2020
The family unit, as Harris configures it, was matriarchal—“Shyamala and the girls.”
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 15, 2019
But qua becoming, and irrespective of all special aspects with which it historically configures itself, the spirit has already a content of its own, which cannot be absent from any of its historical configurations.
From The Reform of Education by Giovanni Gentile
They can also be misconfigurations -- for instance, if someone has used the same password for multiple services, or hasn't configured a database properly.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
The Familiar is designed to monitor an aging parent or other dependent adult on behalf of a family member who likely purchased and configured the device.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Much of the U.S. refining system is configured to run heavier crude like the type that comes from Canada, which exports the vast majority of its oil to the U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026
It followed one phone from Colombia to Abu Dhabi's Zayad International Airport and then to the facility, where it also found four other devices configured to Spanish, which is spoken in Colombia.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
The incentives of the real-estate business, as currently configured, plainly encourage some agents to act against the best interests of their customers.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Shohei Ohtani returned to Dodgers camp Monday morning, and Roberts plans to have a conversation with him soon about configuring his throwing plan leading up to regular season play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
“We tried configuring an off-the-shelf tool for our cycle. Too many fields we don’t need, missing the ones we do…So I just built what we needed. Took a night and a morning,” he wrote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
If the thought of configuring a VPN makes you break out in a cold sweat, this one’s for you.
From Salon ● Feb. 11, 2026
The team's chief innovation is configuring their "neutral atom array" to be able to dynamically change its layout by moving and connecting atoms -- this is called "entangling" in physics parlance -- mid-computation.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2023
For these reasons, Mark requests that you consult closely with him when configuring and using "gated".
From Hitchhiker's Guide to the Internet by Ed Krol
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
