provider
Americannoun
-
providers
plural
-
a person or thing that provides.
-
a person who supports a family or another person.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of provider
Explanation
A provider is a person who gives someone something they need. If your parents both have jobs so they can feed you and buy you what you need, you can call them providers. Your mom's a provider if she works so she can care for you, put food on the table, and send you to school. There are other types of providers as well, although they all give you something you need, often a service. Your school is a provider of education, and the pharmacy around the corner is a provider of medication, makeup, and magazines. It's increasingly common to call your main doctor a "primary care provider."
Vocabulary lists containing provider
Father's Day Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"A Raisin in the Sun," "My Father is a Simple Man," and "My Mother Pieced Quilts"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Huang pushed back on financial concerns around U.S. cloud provider CoreWeave, causing its stock to rebound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The index provider is taking feedback through April 2027 and will announce its decision by the end of June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The prime minister said the digital news provider should be lauded for consistently championing "democracy, human rights" and the UK's role on the world stage since it was launched in 1986.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
In a Daily Journal op-ed, Rachelle Chong, a former Federal Communications Commission member, similarly argues that the definition refers to internet access bought from a provider like AT&T or Comcast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Wilfred, the father, the family protector and provider, was the first to rise.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
In a report last month, it surveyed nearly 200 creators, clinical providers, health brands, charities, and educators - 96% of whom said they had experienced restrictions in some form.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Katti also worked to revive OpenAI’s plans to lease its own data centers, rather than rent capacity from other providers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Los Angeles County will conduct future homeless counts and apply for federal grants on behalf of the region’s homeless services providers, taking over two functions from the beleaguered Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
AI agents should be equipped with "safety brakes" that users could activate in the event of an incident and AI providers should face mandatory incident-reporting obligations, he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Anything to keep me away from the mental-health providers.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
