provide
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to take measures with due foresight (usually followed by for oragainst ).
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to make arrangements for supplying means of support, money, etc. (usually followed byfor ).
He provided for his children in his will.
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to supply means of support (often followed byfor ).
to provide for oneself.
verb
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to put at the disposal of; furnish or supply
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to afford; yield
this meeting provides an opportunity to talk
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(intr; often foll by for or against) to take careful precautions (over)
he provided against financial ruin by wise investment
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to supply means of support (to), esp financially
he provides for his family
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(in statutes, documents, etc) to determine (what is to happen in certain contingencies), esp by including a proviso condition
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to confer and induct into ecclesiastical offices
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rare to have or get in store
in summer many animals provide their winter food
Usage
Where does provide come from? For many, the word provide might conjure up tangible objects you can hand over, like food, supplies, goods, or money. Provide may also bring to mind less concrete things that can nevertheless be given or furnished, such as answers or solutions or responses. So, it might surprise you to learn that the root of provide isn’t about the sense of touch—but vision. Provide entered English around 1375–1425. It comes from the Latin prōvidēre, meaning “to foresee, look after, provide for.” The underlying idea of this verb is seeing something at a distance or beforehand, and when you can see something coming, you can make arrangements and prepare supplies for it. We call such arrangements and supplies provisions, a word that is also derived from prōvidēre. The Latin prōvidēre is composed of two parts. The first part is prō-, a widely used prefix based on the preposition prō, meaning “before, in front of.” The second part is vidēre, meaning “to see, look at.”Prō- appears in many words English borrowed from Latin, such as these verbs:
The verb vidēre is the ultimate source of a lot of English words, many of which entered English through French. Some more familiar derivatives include view, video, vision, visual, visit, and vista. Other derivatives are less obvious and even surprising:Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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providernoun
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overprovideverb (used with object)
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preprovideverb (used with object)
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providableadjective
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unprovidableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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providesimple
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providessimple
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have providedperfect
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has providedperfect
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am providingprogressive
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are providingprogressive
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is providingprogressive
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have been providingperfect progressive
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has been providingperfect progressive
Past
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providedsimple
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had providedperfect
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was providingprogressive
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were providingprogressive
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had been providingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of provide
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English providen, Latin prōvidēre “to foresee, look after, provide for,” equivalent to prō- pro- 1 + vidēre “to see”; cf. video ( def. )
Explanation
To provide means to give or supply. When you stay in a bed and breakfast, the innkeeper will generally provide you with a meal in the morning as part of the price of the room. The verb provide generally means to make available or even to allow. The Constitution, for example, provides for protected freedom of speech. But you've probably also heard people talking about getting a job to provide for their family — in that case, to provide means to make money to pay for food and bills, or in other words, bring home the bacon.
Vocabulary lists containing provide
PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 5
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 6
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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:
The upper stage deployed 20 Starlink V3 satellites, a test SpaceX said "will provide critical data as we prepare to expand our Starlink constellation" of the company's satellite internet service.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
She must also surrender her passport, adhere to a curfew, provide her phone number to gardaí, and sign on daily at garda station in County Kildare.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Spiking electricity demand is also fueling huge interest in natural-gas-fired power plants, which provide the largest share of U.S. electricity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
A 95 percent vaccination rate with the modern, two-dose MMR shot—so named because it also protects against mumps and rubella—is enough to provide herd immunity from measles.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
Besides, he didn’t want the money for himself, he said; he simply wanted to provide his parents with “a comfortable old age.”
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Paramount hailed the agreement as a "significant win", stating it provides a "direct path to a trial based on the evidence".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The successful observation also provides a preview of the type of work China hopes to conduct with Tianwen-2.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
He added that in the longer term, Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which Greer tapped to propose duties on dozens of countries, provides "more flexibility than people realize."
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Apart from Ms. Barker’s family back in Missouri, nobody in her account creates any good or provides any service another person might find sufficiently useful to spend his own money on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
He played Carl Phillips, a key character who provides eyewitness reports about the Martians’ landing.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
She said she never provided her driver’s license and the agents only moved their vehicles and allowed her to leave after she called 911.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
It said reimbursement provided in 2025 had not continued at the same level in 2026, while operating costs had risen.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The blood was provided by Spirit, an eagle living at a Bakersfield zoo, according to the Ojai Raptor Center, where she’s receiving treatment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
“That has to be local to where the service is being provided, because people want language skills, people want locality, people want you in their office,” says Krishna.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Penelope trusted that the excitement onstage would be enough to engage their attention until snacks could be provided, after the show.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Now compounders may be one step closer to lawfully providing it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
She's heading up the government's expert panel, set up to look at improving the job chances of neurodivergent people, and says a "medical" model of providing adjustments is inadequate.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
While this doesn’t mean that U.S. rates must rise, it does indicate that the path of least resistance may be higher, providing a tailwind for U.S. rates.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
It may also require providing the same lifestyle support used in clinical trials.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026
Unfortunately the Attendant is providing the wrong kind of spectacle, because the shambler lurches off the stage and after the trio in the aisle.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
