prepare
Americanverb (used with object)
-
prepares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prepared,
past participle, past
-
preparing
present participle
-
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.
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to manufacture, compound, or compose.
to prepare a cough syrup.
- Synonyms:
- make
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Music. to lead up to (a discord, an embellishment, etc.) by some preliminary tone or tones.
verb (used without object)
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prepares,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prepared,
past participle, past
-
preparing
present participle
verb
-
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
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(tr) music to soften the impact of (a dissonant note) by the use of preparation
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(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
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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
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is preparingprogressive
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have been preparingperfect progressive
-
has been preparingperfect progressive
Past
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preparedsimple
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had preparedperfect
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was preparingprogressive
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were preparingprogressive
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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:
Los Angeles was awarded the Games in September 2017, giving it nearly 11 years to prepare.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
How you can prepare for 6% bond yields.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Seeing as falls can do you in, prepare to “GOTH”—Get Over the Humiliation—of using equipment to help you get around.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
By tracking how that height changes over time, scientists can better understand sea-level rise and support efforts to prepare for its consequences.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
The door creaks open, and I prepare for my audience with the Sky God.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
As she prepares to mark a year since her husband's death, Akinyi is no closer to understanding why he died while paying his respects at an event organised by the government.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
Nigeria's finance minister unveiled a raft of measures Thursday aimed at cushioning against energy shocks as the country prepares to go to the polls, including a petrol discount for public transport operators.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
That’s part of the way he prepares, too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The product expansion comes as Plaid prepares to go public and aims to grow beyond its core business of connecting bank accounts to financial apps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
He keeps small bits of flame dancing atop long sticks while he prepares to swallow them whole.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
You must be prepared to stridently defend it to the trolls.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
"I have made every effort to be honest with the public about my beliefs and intentions, and I am wholly prepared to accept the consequences," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Bessent made the push in a prepared statement to the World Bank Development Committee and the IMF International Monetary and Financial Committee.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Just be prepared for the very real possibility that you will not earn enough to compensate you for the sleepless nights you may incur over the next 30 years.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
We, the public, prepared ourselves and waited for opportunities to open up, and when they did, we walked through the doors.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Eating at times when the body is biologically preparing for sleep may interfere with some of these processes.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
She took the exam around the time she was planning a wedding and preparing to move to China with her future husband, the person said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
A person with direct knowledge of the matter told the outlet that Zacharia took the exam around the same time that she was planning a wedding and preparing to move to China with her husband-to-be.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
In preparing for the premiere of “860,” which runs until Jan. 3, Crystal recalled a brief moment where he forgot Reiner was gone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Mater Lumley glanced anxiously at her husband and seized a cardigan from the pile of knitted things, as if preparing to go out.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
