Meaning & use

provide

verb·Everyday

To give someone what they need or want, especially food, money, shelter, or information.

See it in a sentence

The charity provides warm meals and blankets to homeless families every winter.

The manual provides step-by-step instructions for assembling the furniture.

A note on using this word

Provide is usually followed by with when the receiver is the object, as in provide someone with information, or by for, as in provide for a family.

Words with a similar meaning

supplyfurnish

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

withhold

Make it your own

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