prepare
Americanverb (used with object)
-
prepares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prepared,
past participle, past
-
preparing
present participle
-
to put in proper condition or readiness.
to prepare a patient for surgery.
- Antonyms:
- disorganize
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to get (a meal) ready for eating, as by proper assembling, cooking, etc.
-
to manufacture, compound, or compose.
to prepare a cough syrup.
- Synonyms:
- make
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Music. to lead up to (a discord, an embellishment, etc.) by some preliminary tone or tones.
verb (used without object)
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prepares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prepared,
past participle, past
-
preparing
present participle
verb
-
to make ready or suitable in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
to prepare a meal
to prepare to go
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to put together using parts or ingredients; compose or construct
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(tr) to equip or outfit, as for an expedition
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(tr) music to soften the impact of (a dissonant note) by the use of preparation
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(foll by an infinitive) to be willing and able (to do something)
I'm not prepared to reveal these figures
Synonym Usage
Prepare, contrive, devise imply planning for and making ready for something expected or thought possible. To prepare is to make ready beforehand for some approaching event, need, and the like: to prepare a room, a speech. Contrive and devise emphasize the exercise of ingenuity and inventiveness. The first word suggests a shrewdness that borders on trickery, but this is absent from devise : to contrive a means of escape; to devise a time-saving method.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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preparesimple
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preparessimple
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have preparedperfect
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has preparedperfect
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am preparingprogressive
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are preparingprogressive
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is preparingprogressive
-
have been preparingperfect progressive
-
has been preparingperfect progressive
Past
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preparedsimple
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had preparedperfect
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was preparingprogressive
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were preparingprogressive
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had been preparingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prepare
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin praeparāre “to make ready beforehand,” equivalent to prae- pre- + parāre “to set, get ready” (akin to parent )
Explanation
To prepare means to get ready for something. When you prepare for a test, you'll get a better score than if you don’t. Look at all the variations that you find with prepare. If you prepare yourself mentally for an experience, you sent you mind on it happening. If you're going to tell your family that you're moving out, you might want to prepare them by having them sit down. Are you prepared for their reaction? Are you prepared to defend your decision? You can prepare wood to be painted by cleaning and sanding it. And if you prepare dinner, you cook it.
Vocabulary lists containing prepare
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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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:
Long Beach has already distributed more than 7,500 sandbags as residents prepare for what could be a very trying weekend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Arsenal had numerous solutions against this set-up, having had time to prepare, using their technical and versatile players in build-up.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
To prepare her Connecticut home, Jaffe installed a whole-home generator, an automated sump pump and a whole-house surge protector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
To prepare for the winter, the city has been building backup heating systems and stockpiling fuel, food and drinking water.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Its purpose was to prepare our young ladies for a world we envisioned that they would eventually enter, including a more integrated America.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
And now, being a teammate of his, it’s not surprising at all why he goes and performs like he does, because the way he prepares is as good as anybody in this game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
In the Lukyanivka district, Maria Yaniuk prepares her market stall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
The Prince of Wales has said a "holistic" approach is needed to tackle severe flooding, as a small Welsh village prepares for the upcoming storm season.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
New details have emerged about Anthropic’s business and financial status as the artificial-intelligence lab prepares for a public listing that could value it at $2 trillion.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
This day Mother prepares an altar to chant for his return, offering fruit, incense, tuberoses, and glutinous rice.
From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
A planning application was then prepared for a smaller-scale venture including about 30 bird and animal enclosures, with Wale not intending to live onsite.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Co-organisers Australia and Turkey vowed Thursday to get negotiators to vote on a so-called "presidency-led decision" that they would have prepared before hand.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
The Portadown District Lodge have said they are prepared to take further legal action to try to allow the 35 Orangemen to march from Drumcree along the route approved by the Parades Commission.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Katie: I’d give it a 2 for the beautiful, tiny sashimi that was prepared live on the floor for approximately 15 minutes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The boat didn’t come back, but I was as prepared for its return as I could be, and in the meantime, I settled back into my island life.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology told the BBC it is preparing legislation.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
The U.K. government has said it wants the platform to “act as a stepping stone for companies eyeing a listing in future preparing and easing the journey to an IPO.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Myanmar says it has repatriated around 8,000 citizens by air and 1,500 by sea so far this year, while Malaysia announced it is preparing 3,500 more to go back.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
And if you think it’s a problem now, you might want to be preparing for what could happen later this fall and winter.’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
“Mothers had to attend to their households, preparing meals, repairing clothing, and caring for their children.”
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
