provision

American  

[pruh-vizh-uhn] / prəˈvɪʒ ən /

noun

provisions plural

1. a clause in a legal instrument, a law, etc., providing for a particular matter; stipulation; proviso.

   Synonyms:

   condition

2. the providing or supplying of something, especially of food or other necessities.

3. arrangement or preparation beforehand, as for the doing of something, the meeting of needs, the supplying of means, etc.

4. something provided; a measure or other means for meeting a need.

5. a supply or stock of something provided.

6. provisions, supplies of food.

   Synonyms:

   stock, provender, store

7. Ecclesiastical.

   1. an appointment to an ecclesiastical office.

   2. appointment by the pope to a see or benefice not yet vacant.

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verb (used with object)

provisions, present (3rd person singular) provisioned, past participle, past provisioning present participle

1. to supply with provisions.

provision British  

/ prəˈvɪʒən /

noun

1. the act of supplying or providing food, etc

2. something that is supplied or provided

3. preparations made beforehand (esp in the phrase make provision for )

4. (plural) food and other necessities, esp for an expedition

5. (plural) food obtained for a household

6. a demand, condition, or stipulation formally incorporated in a document; proviso

7. the conferring of and induction into ecclesiastical offices

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verb

1. (tr) to supply with provisions

Synonym Usage

See food.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overprovision
  noun
• preprovision
  noun
• provisioner
  noun
• self-provision
  noun
• reprovision
  verb
• provisionless
  adjective
• unprovisioned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• provisions
  plural

Participles

• provisioning
  present
• provisioned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• provision
  simple
• provisions
  simple
• have provisioned
  perfect
• has provisioned
  perfect
• am provisioning
  progressive
• are provisioning
  progressive
• is provisioning
  progressive
• have been provisioning
  perfect progressive
• has been provisioning
  perfect progressive

Past

• provisioned
  simple
• had provisioned
  perfect
• was provisioning
  progressive
• were provisioning
  progressive
• had been provisioning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will provision
  simple
• will have provisioned
  perfect
• will be provisioning
  progressive
• will have been provisioning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of provision

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Latin prōvīsiōn- (stem of prōvīsiō ) “a foreseeing,” equivalent to prōvīs(us) (past participle of prōvidēre “to foresee, look after, provide”) + -iōn- suffix; see origin at provide, -ion

Explanation

A provision is a store or supply of something, like food or clothing. This noun can also describe the planning you do for "when something happens." We often use this word when we talk about outdoor activities like hiking or camping, or when we talk about outfitting an army in the field, but it basically means "supply." And since provision comes from the Latin word that means to "attend to," you can pretty much guess what the verb form of this word describes: the act of supplying someone else with provisions. In a legal or contractual sense, a provision is a stipulated condition or proviso.

Example Sentences

Every new delivery vehicle UPS purchases now includes air conditioning—a provision included in UPS’s most recent contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents UPS drivers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026

Alphabet took a provision for that fine in the second quarter of 2018.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026

Instead he said it was "legitimate, lawful, necessary and a workable legal provision".

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

That provision excluded all people of African descent until reversed by the 1870 Naturalization Act, which didn’t apply to people of Asian descent until after 1900.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

In these deals, however, there was a provision that allowed Wall Street to put the loans back to Option One if the borrowers failed to make their first payment.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• arrangement
• plan