prepare
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
verb
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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
-
(tr) music to soften the impact of (a dissonant note) by the use of preparation
-
(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
-
preparessimple
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have preparedperfect
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has preparedperfect
-
am preparingprogressive
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are preparingprogressive
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is preparingprogressive
-
have been preparingperfect progressive
-
has been preparingperfect progressive
Past
-
preparedsimple
-
had preparedperfect
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was preparingprogressive
-
were preparingprogressive
-
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:
To prepare, the offense needs to invest in a new defense: improving chaff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Some 78% of professionals who said they used AI to prepare for salary negotiations felt more confident going in, and 48% specifically used it to role-play, according to a 2026 survey from Eastern Washington University.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
This network consists of compartments that fold, modify, and prepare proteins before sending them to their final locations.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
The Lakers reached the maximum number of tune-up games last year and could use any additional reps to prepare for this season with nine new players.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
"What's the big deal, anyway?" asked Jeremy on Sunday afternoon as he watched his mother prepare for the dinner party.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
The paper dresses an ant in Argentina's football jersey as the team prepares for the World Cup final against Spain.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
“There is no magic formula that can tell us what level of testosterone best prepares someone to serve in the United States military,” Dr. Emile Redwood, a urologist with Physicians for Reproductive Health, told me.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday pledged his "wholehearted support" to his successor as he prepares to hand over to premier-in-waiting Andy Burnham.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Now Tim Cook is suing in a bid to protect Apple’s dominance in hand-held devices as the chief executive prepares to depart in September.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
We follow him and he tells us to sit at the counter while he prepares a snack.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
Chronometer Partners’ Matthew Smith says investors and markets are not prepared for a natural-gas shortage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Burnham has told his cabinet he wants to lead a "cost of living government", and that to make that happen, ministers should be "prepared to reprioritise" how they allocate their budgets.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
What's being prepared is phenomenal -- Airbus is entering propulsion, which is not necessarily in our nature.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
“I just wasn’t prepared for that,” Barton said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 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
Others described preparing to either relocate or close entirely.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
A Heat spokesperson told Reuters, external the video was posted in error by staff who were preparing for the possibility of James joining the side.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
But even as he was preparing for that role, he kept up his business activities.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
At least six startups that develop AI models are preparing for initial public offerings in Shanghai or Hong Kong through 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
When the Germans reached high ground behind the Aisne, they began to dig furiously, preparing fortified trenches that they would defend against Allied attacks for the next four years.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
