prepare
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
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
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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
Related Words
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
- preparer noun
- reprepare verb (used with object)
- unpreparing adjective
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 )
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.
Iran had been prepared for this possibility though, with reports that the plans for succession for not just the Khamenei but also an array of senior officials had been put in place.
From BBC
"If that's people's mindset where they can say on the street to someone, to a child, words like that then I'm not prepared for my family to be subject to that," she added.
From BBC
The Gobi March had drawn elite, savvy ultrarunners from around the globe who’d been preparing for this race for years, and I wasn’t going to be able to just drop them like regular marathoners.
Iran’s leaders have been preparing for an attack on the regime that could lead to a breakdown of the chain of command.
Storrie discussed growing up in Texas, working as a waiter before he was cast in the series, and how little time he had to prepare to play a Russian hockey player for the show.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
