prepare
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to put in proper condition or readiness.
to prepare a patient for surgery.
- Antonyms:
- disorganize
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to get (a meal) ready for eating, as by proper assembling, cooking, etc.
-
to manufacture, compound, or compose.
to prepare a cough syrup.
- Synonyms:
- make
-
Music. to lead up to (a discord, an embellishment, etc.) by some preliminary tone or tones.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to make ready or suitable in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
to prepare a meal
to prepare to go
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to put together using parts or ingredients; compose or construct
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(tr) to equip or outfit, as for an expedition
-
(tr) music to soften the impact of (a dissonant note) by the use of preparation
-
(foll by an infinitive) to be willing and able (to do something)
I'm not prepared to reveal these figures
Synonym Usage
Prepare, contrive, devise imply planning for and making ready for something expected or thought possible. To prepare is to make ready beforehand for some approaching event, need, and the like: to prepare a room, a speech. Contrive and devise emphasize the exercise of ingenuity and inventiveness. The first word suggests a shrewdness that borders on trickery, but this is absent from devise : to contrive a means of escape; to devise a time-saving method.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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preparesimple
-
preparessimple
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have preparedperfect
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has preparedperfect
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am preparingprogressive
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are preparingprogressive
-
is preparingprogressive
-
have been preparingperfect progressive
-
has been preparingperfect progressive
Past
-
preparedsimple
-
had preparedperfect
-
was preparingprogressive
-
were preparingprogressive
-
had been preparingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prepare
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin praeparāre “to make ready beforehand,” equivalent to prae- pre- + parāre “to set, get ready” (akin to parent )
Explanation
To prepare means to get ready for something. When you prepare for a test, you'll get a better score than if you don’t. Look at all the variations that you find with prepare. If you prepare yourself mentally for an experience, you sent you mind on it happening. If you're going to tell your family that you're moving out, you might want to prepare them by having them sit down. Are you prepared for their reaction? Are you prepared to defend your decision? You can prepare wood to be painted by cleaning and sanding it. And if you prepare dinner, you cook it.
Vocabulary lists containing prepare
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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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:
Yet most climbers train obsessively for going up and barely prepare for coming down.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
France, meanwhile, must prepare for the third-place play-off after being frustrated by a midfield masterclass and managing just three attempts on target.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
“We have to prepare to ensure there are safeguards in place,” said Byun, the union’s secretary-general.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
As England prepare to meet Argentina in the knockout stage of the World Cup once more, we revisit a piece about Batty's enduring popularity and his low-key retirement.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The Duke himself went ahead of the others to prepare the palace for the guests' arrival!
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
But as the entertainment-industry giant prepares to report second-quarter results on Thursday, fresh debate has emerged over whether investors — and viewers — still see it that way.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Now Tim Cook is suing in a bid to protect Apple’s dominance in hand-held devices as the chief executive prepares to depart in September.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Reaves re-signed with the Lakers on a four-year, $185-million deal, but James decided to move on as he prepares to play an unprecedented 24th season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The comment, published in an opinion piece in Spanish online news site El Debate, came as Spain prepares to face France Tuesday in a blockbuster World Cup semi-final.
From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026
Inside is a labyrinthine and subtle architecture that maintains its own structure, transforms molecules, stores energy and prepares for self-replication.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
It has raised questions about how effectively water resources are being managed, and whether the UK is prepared for drier summers expected with climate change.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
In contrast, toads from the struggling population produced far fewer of these protective peptides during the tadpole stage, leaving them less prepared once they matured.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
Warsh, in prepared remarks released Tuesday, is set to vow that the central bank will rid the United States of the years-long "inflation surge."
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
His prepared testimony, to be delivered at 10 a.m. to the House Financial Services Committee, also made no mention of the tariffs or war-driven price increases that his colleagues have cited as one-off shocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
In hindsight she realized she ought to have checked the almanac for the date of the next full moon, so she might be prepared to begin the HEP, as promised.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Betts, who is left-handed, mentioned her focus on right-handed shooting this offseason in preparing for increased touches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
This well-known section lists the Greek forces preparing for the Trojan War and is considered one of the best-known passages in Western literature.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
Ford Motor has been preparing the launch of a new $30,000 all-electric pickup aimed at taking on the affordable electric vehicles from Chinese automakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
And be sure to wash your hands, especially during while preparing food.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
It was a monumental task, but one I’d been preparing for since college.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
