provision
Americannoun
-
provisions
plural
-
a clause in a legal instrument, a law, etc., providing for a particular matter; stipulation; proviso.
- Synonyms:
- condition
-
the providing or supplying of something, especially of food or other necessities.
-
arrangement or preparation beforehand, as for the doing of something, the meeting of needs, the supplying of means, etc.
-
something provided; a measure or other means for meeting a need.
-
a supply or stock of something provided.
-
provisions, supplies of food.
-
Ecclesiastical.
-
an appointment to an ecclesiastical office.
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appointment by the pope to a see or benefice not yet vacant.
-
verb (used with object)
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provisions,
present (3rd person singular)
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provisioned,
past participle, past
-
provisioning
present participle
noun
-
the act of supplying or providing food, etc
-
something that is supplied or provided
-
preparations made beforehand (esp in the phrase make provision for )
-
(plural) food and other necessities, esp for an expedition
-
(plural) food obtained for a household
-
a demand, condition, or stipulation formally incorporated in a document; proviso
-
the conferring of and induction into ecclesiastical offices
verb
Synonym Usage
See food.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overprovisionnoun
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preprovisionnoun
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provisionernoun
-
self-provisionnoun
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reprovisionverb
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provisionlessadjective
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unprovisionedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
provisionsimple
-
provisionssimple
-
have provisionedperfect
-
has provisionedperfect
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am provisioningprogressive
-
are provisioningprogressive
-
is provisioningprogressive
-
have been provisioningperfect progressive
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has been provisioningperfect progressive
Past
-
provisionedsimple
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had provisionedperfect
-
was provisioningprogressive
-
were provisioningprogressive
-
had been provisioningperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing provision
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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"Tinker v. Des Moines": Excerpts from Justice Fortas's Opinion
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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.
See Examples For:
Jerry included instructions to vote Jeanie as the controlling owner in perpetuity, a provision that has led to nearly constant conflict in the years since.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The donations included the provision of office space, IT equipment, staffing, polling, travel, social media support and message testing.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
The law carries a provision to require plaintiffs to post a bond to cover the potential financial harms of halting a transaction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
But generally, presidents were very, very good about asking their lawyers, or as the foreign emoluments provision says, asking Congress.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 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
They say the bill’s provisions should prevent such earnings.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Hundreds of volunteers hurried through the packed parking lot next to Bogota's largest stadium, forming human chains to pass donated water bottles, food provisions, sanitary products and bedding to the sorting area.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
“I’m hopeful that the provisions in this settlement agreement will help ensure more equity in pricing.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Joe Boyle, secretary of the group, said current provisions "still fall short of an acceptable structure for the third tier of government in Northern Ireland".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The men bring the water and wine and milk, and we wash our hands and drink and eat from our provisions.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
The amount is greater than the $265 million provisioned in December 2024 and, when added to previous settlements with purchaser plaintiffs, brings total cash payments for this litigation to around $1 billion, according to RBC.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
He provisioned his ship and gave to the Coast Miwoks who greeted him pieces of blue-and- white Chinese porcelain that he had evidently “liberated” from the Spanish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2025
UT itself hosts an annual Free Speech Week in which outside influence is encouraged on campus—and is specifically outlined as protected, provisioned for, and celebrated.
From Slate ● Apr. 27, 2024
He has argued that Ukraine needs to be properly provisioned to fend off Russia’s much bigger force.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 21, 2023
A helicopter had dropped off water and food, and they seemed to be well provisioned.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
"Time series analysis highlights significant seasonal mortality patterns, underscoring the need for targeted interventions during high-risk periods like peak summer months; such as strategic water provisioning, supplemental feeding, and enhanced disease monitoring," it said.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Documents published by the US Navy this month show advanced planning for an even larger Australian stockpile, with $30 million allocated to build warehouses and offices in southeastern Victoria state for "critical forward provisioning".
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
"Organisations will need to prepare for changes to wage structures, HR systems, social security provisioning and compliance governance," according to staffing agency BDO India.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2025
He is also looking for detail on the next phases of the tech overhaul and provisioning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025
The Adjutant commanded those of us who labored provisioning to pull back to Cambridge.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
