provider
Americannoun
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a person or thing that provides.
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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
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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"A Raisin in the Sun," "My Father is a Simple Man," and "My Mother Pieced Quilts"
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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.
CoinEx said TRM’s aggregation of volumes that went back and forth was misleading and that volume estimates from a separate third-party provider were lower.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026
Insurance companies are exposed to the embattled private-credit industry in more ways than one, according to a new report by Clearwater Analytics, a portfolio-management software provider.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026
Visit Big Bear said the decision to move forward with the event was not made lightly and that organizers were working with the fireworks provider to reduce the loudest booms where possible.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026
That gap, together with falling sensor costs, will help determine whether the lasting margin sits with the vehicle maker, the autonomy provider or the ride-hailing network.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026
“What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. I’m very satisfied. Your father is a good provider and he is kind to me.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
