prepare

prepare — verb

1. to put a person, thing, or place into the state needed so it can be used or so s

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2
Definition

to put a person, thing, or place into the state needed so it can be used or so something can happen — for example, cooking food before a meal, drafting a speech before a meeting, or arranging a room before guests arrive.

Example

Mrs. Lin spent the whole morning preparing dumplings for the family reunion.

prepare + food object

The teacher prepared the classroom by setting out paper, pencils, and small bowls of paint.

prepare + place + by + -ing

Common collocations
  • prepare a meal
  • prepare dinner
  • prepare a speech
  • prepare a report
  • prepare the ground
  • prepare carefully
  • prepare in advance
Synonyms
  • make

    narrower — 'make dinner' works, but 'make' lacks the sense of advance, deliberate work.

  • arrange

    fits when the object is plans, events, or items being placed in order, not food.

  • set up

    more about installing or putting in place; common with equipment and rooms.

  • draft

    narrower — only for written texts (a speech, a contract, a report).

Antonyms
  • neglect

    to fail to get something or someone ready when you should have.

  • improvise

    to act without preparation, making things up as you go.

Grammar Patterns

prepare + object

prepare + object + for + noun

prepare for + noun

prepare to + verb

Usage Note

Often takes a person, thing, or place as object, plus an optional 'for + noun' showing the future event. Distinguish from sense 2: here the focus is the active work of getting something ready (cooking, drafting, arranging); in sense 2 the focus is on getting yourself mentally or practically ready for something you expect.

Common Mistakes

I am preparing for cook dinner.
I am preparing dinner.
when the object is the thing you make ready, no 'for' is needed.
She prepared to leave the keys on the table.
She left the keys on the table before leaving.
'prepare to + verb' means to get ready to do something, not 'as a step before doing it'.

2. to put yourself into the right state — practically or mentally — for something y

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to put yourself into the right state — practically or mentally — for something you think is coming, so that it does not catch you off guard.

Example

Coastal towns are preparing for a powerful storm expected to hit on Sunday.

prepare for + expected event

Akira has been preparing for the entrance exam since January.

prepare for + noun (test, challenge)

Common collocations
  • prepare for the worst
  • prepare for an exam
  • prepare for battle
  • prepare yourself
  • be prepared to + verb
Synonyms
  • brace

    stronger — implies steadying yourself for something unpleasant or shocking.

  • gear up

    informal; suggests building up energy or resources for a big event.

  • anticipate

    focus on expecting something; less about taking practical steps.

  • ready

    as a verb, often more formal; 'ready oneself for'.

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

prepare for + noun

prepare to + verb

prepare yourself for + noun

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person, group, or place that anticipates the event. The 'for' phrase names the expected event, and is rarely an object you actively make. Distinguish from sense 1: here you are not producing or arranging an item — you are bracing or readying yourself for something you expect to happen.

Common Mistakes

I am preparing the exam tomorrow.
I am preparing for the exam tomorrow.
when the meaning is 'getting yourself ready', use 'prepare for'.
She prepared that the news would be bad.
She prepared herself for bad news.
'prepare' in this sense does not take a that-clause.
Idioms

prepare the ground (for something)

idiom

to do early work that makes a later action or result more likely to succeed.

Years of quiet meetings prepared the ground for the peace agreement signed last March.

The director's earlier reforms prepared the ground for the company's recent overseas growth.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five describe getting something ready, but they differ in scope and object. 'Prepare' is the broadest and most learner-friendly; it covers food, documents, places, and people, and usually implies thoughtful, advance work — 'prepare a speech', 'prepare the room'. 'Make' is more general and focuses on producing the result rather than the readiness ('make dinner' is fine, but 'make a room for guests' sounds odd). 'Arrange' fits when items or plans are put into a desired order — 'arrange the chairs', 'arrange a meeting'. 'Set up' suggests installing or putting equipment into working position — 'set up the projector', 'set up the booth'. 'Draft' is narrow: only written texts. So a teacher prepares a lesson, drafts the worksheet, arranges the desks, and sets up the laptop, but probably does not 'make' any of these.

prepare ↗make ↗arrange ↗set up ↗draft ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be prepared to do something
  • prepare the way for
  • prepare yourself for the worst

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinMiddle FrenchLate Middle EnglishModern English

Borrowed into English in the late 1400s from Latin 'praeparare', built from 'prae-' meaning 'before' and 'parare' meaning 'to make ready' or 'to set in order'. The same Latin 'parare' lies behind English words like 'apparatus', 'repair', and 'separate'. From the start, 'prepare' carried both senses still in use today: actively making something ready, and getting yourself braced for what is coming.