provider
AmericanOther Word Forms
- nonprovider noun
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.
The number of U.S. properties with a foreclosure filing rose to almost 119,000 in the first quarter, according to property-data provider ATTOM.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
Conversely, if a patient arrives on time but the provider begins the appointment more than 10 minutes late, the fee for the appointment should be waived and not billed to the patient or insurer.
From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026
The controller’s waste, fraud and abuse team began investigating a homeless service provider after receiving a phone call alleging fraud.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
There are its namesake drugstores, but also pharmacy-benefits manager Caremark, insurer Aetna, primary-care center Oak Street Health, and in-home services provider Signify Health.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
She kept apologizing to me, saying she failed me as a mother and provider.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
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.
