Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
Definition of provides - 2 dictionary results

pro⋅vide

  [pruh-vahyd] verb, -vid⋅ed, -vid⋅ing.
Use provides in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to make available; furnish: to provide employees with various benefits.
2. to supply or equip: to provide the army with new fighter planes.
3. to afford or yield.
4. Law. to arrange for or stipulate beforehand, as by a provision or proviso.
5. Archaic. to prepare or procure beforehand.
–verb (used without object)
6. to take measures with due foresight (usually fol. by for or against).
7. to make arrangements for supplying means of support, money, etc. (usually fol. by for): He provided for his children in his will.
8. to supply means of support (often fol. by for): to provide for oneself.
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME providen < L prōvidēre to foresee, look after, provide for, equiv. to prō- pro- 1 + vidēre to see

Related forms:
pro⋅vid⋅a⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
1. give, render. 3. produce.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To provides
pro·vide   (prə-vīd')   
v.   pro·vid·ed, pro·vid·ing, pro·vides

v.   tr.
  1. To furnish; supply: provide food and shelter for a family.
  2. To make available; afford: a room that provides ample sunlight through French windows.
  3. To set down as a stipulation: an agreement that provides deadlines for completion of the work.
  4. Archaic To make ready ahead of time; prepare.
v.   intr.
  1. To take measures in preparation: provided for the common defense of the states in time of war.
  2. To supply means of subsistence: She provides for her family by working in a hospital.
  3. To make a stipulation or condition: The Constitution provides for a bicameral legislature.

[Middle English providen, from Latin prōvidēre, to provide for : prō-, forward; see pro-1 + vidēre, to see; see weid- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see provides on Thesaurus | Reference