v., -vid·ed, -vid·ing, -vides. v.tr.
- To furnish; supply: provide food and shelter for a family.
- To make available; afford: a room that provides ample sunlight through French windows.
- To set down as a stipulation: an agreement that provides deadlines for completion of the work.
- Archaic. To make ready ahead of time; prepare.
- To take measures in preparation: provided for the common defense of the states in time of war.
- To supply means of subsistence: She provides for her family by working in a hospital.
- 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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
