equal
Americanadjective
-
as great as; the same as (often followed by to orwith ).
The velocity of sound is not equal to that of light.
-
like or alike in quantity, degree, value, etc.; of the same rank, ability, merit, etc..
two students of equal brilliance.
- Synonyms:
- correspondent, coordinate, commensurate, proportionate
- Antonyms:
- different
-
evenly proportioned or balanced.
an equal contest.
-
uniform in operation or effect.
equal laws.
-
adequate or sufficient in quantity or degree.
The supply is equal to the demand.
-
having adequate ability, means, or other characteristics: Their English boots were not equal to the rigors of a Canadian winter.
He was equal to the task.
Their English boots were not equal to the rigors of a Canadian winter.
- Antonyms:
- inadequate
-
tranquil or undisturbed.
to confront death with an equal mind.
-
impartial or equitable.
-
Archaic. having an even surface; level.
the treeless, equal plains.
noun
-
equals
plural
verb (used with object)
-
equals,
present (3rd person singular)
-
equaled,
past participle, past
-
equalled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
equaling,
present participle
-
equalling
present participle (especially British)
-
to be or become equal to; meet or match.
So far the rate of production doesn't equal the demand.
If A equals B and B equals C, then A equals C.
-
to make or do something equal to.
No matter how he tries, he can't equal his brother's achievements.
-
Archaic. to make equal; equalize.
-
Obsolete. to recompense fully.
adjective
-
identical in size, quantity, degree, intensity, etc; the same (as)
-
having identical privileges, rights, status, etc
all men are equal before the law
-
having uniform effect or application
equal opportunities
-
evenly balanced or proportioned
the game was equal between the teams
-
(usually foll by to) having the necessary or adequate strength, ability, means, etc (for)
to be equal to one's work
-
another word for equivalent
noun
verb
-
(tr) to be equal to; correspond to; match
my offer equals his
-
to become equal or level
-
(tr) to make, perform, or do something equal to
to equal the world record
-
archaic (tr) to make equal
Usage
See unique.
The use of more equal as in from now on their relationship will be a more equal one is acceptable in modern English usage. Equally is preferred to equally as in sentences such as reassuring the victims is equally important. Just as is preferred to equally as in sentences such as their surprise was just as great as his
Synonym Usage
Equal, equivalent, tantamount imply a correspondence between two or more things. Equal indicates a correspondence in all respects or in a particular respect: A dime is equal to 10 cents (that is, in purchasing power). Equivalent indicates a correspondence in one or more respects, but not in all: An egg is said to be the equivalent of a pound of meat in nutritive value. Tantamount, a word of limited application, is used of immaterial things that are equivalent: The prisoner's refusal to answer was tantamount to an admission of guilt.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonequaladjective
-
quasi-equaladjective
-
subequaladjective
-
equallyadverb
-
quasi-equallyadverb
-
subequallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
equalsimple
-
equalssimple
-
have equaledperfect
-
have equalledperfect
-
has equaledperfect
-
has equalledperfect
-
am equalingprogressive
-
am equallingprogressive
-
are equalingprogressive
-
are equallingprogressive
-
is equalingprogressive
-
is equallingprogressive
-
have been equalingperfect progressive
-
have been equallingperfect progressive
-
has been equalingperfect progressive
-
has been equallingperfect progressive
Past
-
equaledsimple
-
equalledsimple
-
had equaledperfect
-
had equalledperfect
-
was equalingprogressive
-
was equallingprogressive
-
were equalingprogressive
-
were equallingprogressive
-
had been equalingperfect progressive
-
had been equallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of equal
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English adjective from Latin aequālis “equal, like,” equivalent to aequ(us) “even, plain, just” + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Things that are the same size or have the same traits are said to be equal. When it comes to people, being equal means everyone has the same rights and opportunities — and responsibilities. When two or more things are level or balanced, they are said to be equal. This balance can refer to volume, weight, or quantity, or any other trait being compared. In a contest in which each side has the same chance of winning, the match is said to be equal. And when a person is considered at the same level with another in some respect, he or she is said to be that person's equal.
Vocabulary lists containing equal
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 1
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Geometry - Introductory
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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:
"This is not an equal fight," Christian Lawrence of Rabobank told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Boys and girls are diagnosed with autism at roughly equal rates until about age 3.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
She regularly offered her perceptive and witty insights about life, music, fame and equal rights.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Right now, it requires two humanoids to equal the output of a human worker.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
The number of small farms merged into collectives was a number about equal to the current population of Texas.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
That equals roughly 7% of Canada’s imports from the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Amazingly, the result of this weak measurement of dwell time, when the photon goes straight through the cloud, exactly equals the negative time suggested by the photons’ average arrival time.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
Looked at another way, adjusting $100,000 in the late 1990s for inflation also equals roughly $210,000 today.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
“They were very much equals — my mother did help build that cabin. My mother was a teacher and an artist and really loved having children but was also a union rep at the school.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
In that heartbeat, they were equals, and Kaede knew she had to act before Elowen regained her wits.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
He entertained mass audiences so successfully that his murder mysteries, spy sagas and innocent-man-accused tales became their own genre: the Alfred Hitchcock Movie, often imitated but never equaled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Folarin Balogun’s two goals in that game equaled another record from 1930, which was the last time a U.S. player had multiple goals in a World Cup game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
The latter equaled about 8% of revenue in the most recent quarter.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
For the game, he missed 12 of 19 shots, four of six three-point attempts, had zero offensive rebounds and equaled a team-low with a minus-24 in 33 fewer minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
Seabiscuit had equaled his Tanforan workout time of 1:36 for the mile, officially breaking the track record.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
It is possible that this could be equalled or even exceeded later this week, with the Met Office issuing an amber extreme heat warning for some parts of England on Thursday.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Charley Hull equalled the lowest round in Ladies European Tour history and broke the course record at the Centurion Club to move within one stroke of the lead at the PIF London Championship.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
He also equalled his personal best, which he set in winning gold at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, with the run at the Icahn Stadium in New York City.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
And a whack of them were collected in Glasgow 12 years ago when he equalled the legendary Ian Thorpe's record of seven medals in one Games.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Except that a robot might fail due to the inherent inadequacies of his brain. The positronic brain has never equalled the complexities of the human brain.”
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
It was the second time that Pegula has reached the quarterfinals of the British tournament, only to fall at that hurdle, equaling the progress she made at Wimbledon in 2023.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Only 11 men have more major wins than McIlroy, with his tally of six now equaling Faldo, Lee Trevino and Phil Mickelson.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
Capital spending guidance for the five largest cloud companies is approximately $650 billion, equaling the spending by the rest of the Russell 3000 excluding utilities.
From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026
Next came a power-play goal from Knight, her 14th in Olympic play, equaling Natalie Darwitz and Katie King for the most in team history.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2026
Altogether, his craft was a work of great skill, and Nhamo despaired of equaling it.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
"I just hate the stigma of alone equalling lonely."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Messi began the tournament with a hat-trick in a 3-0 win against Algeria as he became the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history, equalling Miroslav Klose's record of 16, which had stood since 2014.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Bank on those equalling 1% to 3% of your property’s value, or more.
From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026
They must beat bottom side Wolves on Saturday to avoid equalling the club's worst winless league run - set some 91 years ago, between 1934 and 1935.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
She was a big woman, in stature almost equalling her husband, and corpulent besides: she showed virile force in the contest—more than once she almost throttled him, athletic as he was.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
