Meaning & use
provider
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person or organization that supplies something people need, such as a service, goods, or money.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a provider' or 'providers'. Often followed by 'of': a provider of health care.
Patterns
- provider of something
- a service provider
- a health care provider
The company is a leading provider of cloud storage.
As a single parent, she is the main provider for her family.
The government works with local providers of social care.
nouncountable
A company that supplies internet, phone, or similar services.
Grammar: Often in compounds like 'internet provider' or 'mobile provider'.
Patterns
- internet provider
- mobile provider
- switch providers
We switched to a cheaper internet provider.
The provider said the outage would last two hours.
Check with your phone provider about roaming charges.
Word forms
| plural | providers |
|---|
Common combinations
- health care provider
- Ask your health care provider about the vaccine.
- service provider
- The service provider fixed our connection quickly.
- main provider
- He is the main provider for his elderly parents.
- provider of choice
- Many schools are now the provider of choice for adult education.
Synonyms and how they differ
- supplier
- Supplier is used more for companies that supply goods; provider is broader and often used for services.
- vendor
- Vendor often means a seller of products, especially in business or at a market; provider is more general.
Word family
Commonly confused: provider or proprietor?
provider vs proprietor
A proprietor is an owner of a business, not someone who supplies services.
Practice
The hospital is a major ____ of emergency care in the region.
Choose one answer.
'Provider' is the noun for a person or organization that supplies something. 'Provision' is also a noun but means the act of supplying or the supplies themselves, and 'provide' is a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “provider”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.