providing

American

[pruh-vahy-ding] / prəˈvaɪ dɪŋ /

conjunction

on the condition or understanding (that); provided.

He can stay here providing he works.

providing British

/ prəˈvaɪdɪŋ /

conjunction

on the condition or understanding (that)

I'll play, providing you pay me

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Commonly Confused

See provided.

Related Words

See if.

Etymology

Origin of providing

First recorded in 1375–1425, providing is from the late Middle English word provydyng. See provide, -ing ²

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.

Alas, they’re not thinking in the continuous sense you and I experience; they are merely providing themselves with a discrete sequence of internal prompts.

From Slate • May 25, 2026

But a new exhibition is providing a different outlook on the decade, with just one fleeting reference to the Troubles.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

“We have tried to intervene with limited resources by setting up a hand-washing station and providing some personal protective equipment for staff,” Lusenge told the Journal by email.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026

For decades, gaming subsidized artificial intelligence, forging the careers of today’s AI visionaries and providing the scaffolding for major AI breakthroughs.

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

But Papa saw it as his providing a bounteous table.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023