equate

American  

[ih-kweyt] / ɪˈkweɪt /

verb (used with object)

equates, present (3rd person singular) equated, past participle, past equating present participle

1. to regard, treat, or represent as equivalent.

   We cannot equate the possession of wealth with goodness.

2. to state the equality of or between; put in the form of an equation.

   to equate growing prosperity with the physical health of a nation.

3. to reduce to an average; make such correction or allowance in as will reduce to a common standard of comparison.

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equate British  

/ ɪˈkweɪt /

verb

1. to make or regard as equivalent or similar, esp in order to compare or balance

2. maths to indicate the equality of; form an equation from

3. (intr) to be equal; correspond

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• equatability
  noun
• equatable
  adjective
• unequated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• equating
  present
• equated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• equate
  simple
• equates
  simple
• have equated
  perfect
• has equated
  perfect
• am equating
  progressive
• are equating
  progressive
• is equating
  progressive
• have been equating
  perfect progressive
• has been equating
  perfect progressive

Past

• equated
  simple
• had equated
  perfect
• was equating
  progressive
• were equating
  progressive
• had been equating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will equate
  simple
• will have equated
  perfect
• will be equating
  progressive
• will have been equating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of equate

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin aequātus (past participle of aequāre to make equal), equivalent to aequ ( us ) equal + -ātus -ate ¹

Explanation

When you equate one thing with another, you say that they are both the same. You might equate indulging in a hot fudge sundae with giving up on your body entirely, but I would disagree. To equate means to make things equal, and it’s a useful word because this is something people do all the time. They equate strong political views with fascism, they equate having lots of money with good taste, and they equate popularity with goodness. Remember, though, that just because you equate one thing with another does not mean that they really are the same! As you have no doubt noticed, equate has the Latin root equ that means "equal, level," so look there if you need a reminder as to its meaning.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

equate equates equated equating

Both Welborn and Ware caution clients not to equate financial independence with attaining a certain level of net worth.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026

The two deals equate to about £7m of profit.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

Some critics equate those abilities with mass surveillance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

But evidence is scant that the higher graduation rates equate to more learning.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

None could equate this engaging young man with the stereotypical aged, graybearded laboratory scientist of their fancies.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Based on the price First Hawaiian shares closed at last week, that equates to about $63.12 per TriCo share.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Micron had an 85% gross margin in the third quarter, and expects it to rise to 86% in the current quarter—that equates to a 600% markup on Micron’s cost of goods.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

The city produces approximately 350,000 tons of organic material a year, Blumenfield told the crowd, which he said equates to roughly 1.2 to 1.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

Jantos says this equates to more than two hours per day "spent not in the company of another human, but most likely going deep in some sort of experience engaged in your phone".

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

All of which brings us to the key point: the ancients, particularly in the classical period, had no notion that equates exactly with our modern conception of “science.”

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

The college said it currently subsidised more than 50% of each seat and, with further reductions for siblings, it equated to more than £150,000.

From BBC ● May 19, 2026

City officials said the questioned expenses equated to 0.19% of the mayor’s office budget for the period.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

What a wild ride though, from not wanting kids to being equated with Mama’s.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

Another got into specifics, saying their credit-card rewards equated to $400 monthly “in free money” based on their Meta ad spend.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026

Bobby thought of himself as being totally aware and equated himself with Bhagwan’s concept of the Nietzschean “Superman” who transcends the constraints of society.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Southern Water has claimed it achieved a record year of leakage reduction, equating to 27 million litres per day, and has found and fixed 2,840 leaks since January.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Adults across the UK spend more than £111 per month on dates and dating apps, equating to more than £1,300 per year, according to research from Barclays in 2025,

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

Roughly 450 bitcoins are newly minted a day, meaning that institutions are buying approximately 2,700 BTC a day, equating to $220 million-worth using today’s price of $81,543.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

Revenue came in at $15.27 billion, equating to organic growth of 5.8%.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

Thinking maybe Albany was unnecessarily equating me with the devil, I sent a signed copy to the commissioner of corrections, which he acknowledged with a curt note; I never' heard from him again.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• associate
• liken
• relate