equipment

equipment — noun

1. the items, such as tools, machines, or special clothing, that you need for a par

1.nounB1
Definition

the items, such as tools, machines, or special clothing, that you need for a particular activity or job

Example

The hospital bought new equipment for the emergency room last month.

equipment + for + [place/activity]

Putri packed her camping equipment the night before the trip.

Common collocations
  • heavy equipment
  • modern equipment
  • essential equipment
  • protective equipment
  • kitchen equipment
  • medical equipment
  • sports equipment
  • camping equipment
Synonyms
  • gear

    more informal; commonly used for sports, camping, or personal items

  • apparatus

    more formal; used for scientific, medical, or specialized technical devices

  • tools

    refers specifically to hand-operated items for manual work

  • supplies

    often implies consumable items (food, stationery) rather than durable tools

Grammar Patterns

equipment + for + noun phrase

piece/item of equipment

Usage Note

Equipment is an uncountable noun and has no plural form. To refer to one item, use 'a piece of equipment' or 'an item of equipment.' Do not write 'an equipment' or 'equipments.'

Common Mistakes

I bought many equipments for the kitchen.
I bought a lot of equipment for the kitchen.
Equipment is uncountable and never takes a plural -s.
This is a good equipment for climbing.
This is a good piece of climbing equipment.
Use 'a piece of' or 'an item of' when referring to a single physical item.

2. supplying a person, organization, or place with the tools or items needed for a

2.nounC1
Definition

supplying a person, organization, or place with the tools or items needed for a particular task

Example

The equipment of the research laboratory took longer than the builders had expected.

the equipment of [place] — formal uncountable use for the process

The army completed the equipment of all new soldiers within two weeks.

Synonyms
  • outfitting

    slightly less formal; common for vehicles, ships, or expeditions

  • provisioning

    focuses on supplying consumable goods rather than durable tools

  • furnishing

    used mainly for supplying furniture and fixtures to a room or building

Antonyms
  • stripping

    removing equipment from a place or person

  • disarming

    removing weapons or defense equipment specifically

Grammar Patterns

the equipment of + noun phrase

Usage Note

This formal sense is much less common than sense 1. It typically appears in contexts of logistics, military operations, project management, or business planning. The focus is on the process of supplying, not the items themselves.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Equipment is the broadest term for the physical items needed for a task. Gear overlaps heavily but sounds more informal and is especially common for personal or outdoor activities (camping gear, sports gear). Apparatus is more formal and suggests a set of specialized instruments used in science, medicine, or technical work (laboratory apparatus). Tools are hand-held items used for manual or craft work (hammers, saws, screwdrivers) — equipment can include tools but is not limited to them. Supplies differ in that they are consumable: once used, they run out (office supplies, cleaning supplies). For example, a hospital's medical equipment includes ventilators and X-ray machines, whereas its medical supplies include bandages and gloves.

gear ↗apparatus ↗toolssupplies

Common collocations

Nouns

  • piece of
  • item of
  • set of
  • range of

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicOld FrenchFrenchEnglish

Equipment entered English in the 1700s from French équipement, which came from the verb équiper ('to equip'). The French verb likely traces back to Old French esquiper, meaning 'to fit out a ship,' and further to a Germanic root related to 'ship.' The modern sense broadened from ships to any context where people or places are supplied with the necessary items for a task.