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.
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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
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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:
Here are five reasons for that, and what you should do to prepare.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Mercedes put together a testing programme for him, 20-odd days in cars a couple of years old at tracks all over the world to prepare him for his F1 debut in 2025.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The exercises are designed to prepare for a possible attack by North Korea.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
If you have a bad accident, therefore, prepare to pay a pretty penny out of pocket.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
"I'll prepare a good medicine for you. And about the food, I'll·let you eat everything you want and as much as you want."
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Today, he prepares for recreational marathons under the watchful eye of a chatbot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
People across Scotland have been frantically scrambling to find the right kind of protective eyewear as the UK prepares for the best view of a solar eclipse in nearly three decades.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The resulting difference is considered an indicator of how the body prepares itself to handle the demands and stressors of the coming day.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Rams training camp has officially wrapped up as the team prepares for a new season as the favorite to win the Super Bowl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 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
It’s also worth noting that, should you drive past another vehicle with a car fire, you would be prepared to help.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Ukraine's instructors say this change means conventional soldiers have to to be even better prepared for the mental hardships.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Meanwhile, patients recover from their surgery and start a regimen of Keytruda to keep the disease in check while their personalized shot is prepared.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
One obvious blind spot is that it would exclude water facilities that serve fewer than 3,300 people, the communities least prepared, that indeed were among those likely targeted this time around.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Finally, a few weeks later, early in May of 1961, we prepared to launch the Mercury-Redstone spacecraft, named Freedom 7, with astronaut Alan Shepard Jr.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
The point is, preparing some extra gear ahead of time can be extremely beneficial in the long run, especially when dealing with accidents or unusual circumstances.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Other ways to protect yourself include washing your hands before preparing food, after using the bathroom and after contact with animals.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has said he is "tirelessly preparing to pursue a trial conviction" in the state case, where Mangione is maintaining his not guilty plea.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
It will help customers locate products, guide them to related products and offer advice on preparing shopping lists for big events.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
He tapped each one and they took off, whizzing around like birds preparing to land.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
