provide

provide — verb

1. to give people the things they need, such as food, money, information, or servic

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to give people the things they need, such as food, money, information, or services

Example

The local food bank provides fresh vegetables to families in need every Saturday.

provide + something + to + someone

The university provided Abigail with a scholarship to cover her tuition fees.

provide + someone + with + something

Common collocations
  • provide + service(s)
  • provide + information
  • provide + support
  • provide + assistance
  • provide + food / meals
  • provide + shelter / housing
  • provide + funding / funds
  • provide + education / training
  • provide + care
  • provide + security
  • provide + access
  • provide + opportunity
  • provide + evidence / proof
Synonyms
  • supply

    more neutral and often used for physical goods or equipment; 'supply' can suggest a continuous flow rather than a single act

  • offer

    implies opportunity rather than need; you can offer something the other person may refuse, but provide suggests filling a need

  • give

    more general and less formal; 'give' does not carry the same implication of meeting a deliberate need or requirement

  • furnish

    slightly more formal, often used for equipping a space or supplying official documents

Antonyms
  • withhold

    to deliberately refuse to give something that is needed or expected

  • deprive

    to take something away or prevent someone from having it

Grammar Patterns

provide + something

provide + someone + with + something

provide + something + for + someone

Usage Note

Common structure is 'provide someone with something' (e.g., provide students with books). In American English, 'provide someone something' without 'with' is also used, though less common in formal writing.

Common Mistakes

The company provided them new computers.
The company provided them with new computers.
In standard English, a direct person-object needs 'with' before the thing given.
Can you provide me some water?
Can you provide me with some water?
Same rule: use 'with' after the person receiving.

2. (of a law, rule, contract, or official document) to state that a particular thin

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

(of a law, rule, contract, or official document) to state that a particular thing must be done or is required under specific conditions

Example

The lease agreement provides that the tenant must pay a deposit of two months' rent.

provide + that-clause for legal/contractual conditions

Taiwan's traffic laws provide that all drivers must stop at red lights.

passive law context with provide + that-clause

Common collocations
  • the law provides that…
  • the contract provides that…
  • the agreement provides that…
  • the policy provides that…
  • the regulations provide that…
  • the will provides that…
Synonyms
  • stipulate

    more specific and formal; 'stipulate' is used mainly in contracts and legal documents for precise conditions

  • specify

    focuses on giving detailed information; broader in use than 'provide' in this sense

  • state

    more general; 'state' can apply to any kind of communication, not just legal documents

  • require

    emphasises the obligation or necessity created by the rule, rather than the act of stating it

Grammar Patterns

provide + that-clause

Usage Note

Only used in formal, legal, or official contexts. The subject is always a document, law, rule, or agreement — never a person. Commonly found in contracts, legislation, official policies, and wills.

Common Mistakes

My boss provided that I should finish the report by Friday.
My boss said that I should finish the report by Friday.
Only laws, rules, and official documents 'provide that'; people use other verbs.
The law provides that all cars needs inspection.
The law provides that all cars need inspection.
The that-clause uses the subjunctive or simple present, not third-person -s.
Phrasal verbs

provide against

phrasal verb

To take action in order to prevent something bad from happening.

The city built flood walls to provide against rising sea levels.

Did the company provide against potential data breaches?

provide for

phrasal verb

To supply someone with the things they need to live, such as food or money.

Maya works two jobs to provide for her family.

The scholarship provided for all of Diego's university expenses.

Word family

  • provision
    nounB2
  • provider
    nounB2
  • provided
    conjunctionB2
  • providing
    conjunctionB2
  • provisional
    adjectiveC1
  • proviso
    nounC1
  • provisionally
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These four verbs all relate to making something available, but differ in purpose and formality. 'Provide' focuses on meeting a need or requirement — you provide what is necessary or expected. 'Supply' is similar but leans toward physical goods and continuous distribution, as in supplying parts to a factory. 'Give' is the most general and least formal, covering any act of handing something over, whether needed or not. 'Offer' implies a choice — the recipient can accept or refuse — and is often used for opportunities, help, or suggestions. 'Furnish' is more formal and narrower, typically used for equipping spaces (furnish a room) or submitting documents (furnish proof). For everyday needs like food, shelter, or services, 'provide' is the most natural choice: a hotel provides towels, but a friend gives you a birthday present, and a shop assistant offers to help you find a size.

supplyoffergivefurnish

Common collocations

Nouns

  • provider
  • provision
  • provisions

Adverbs

  • provide fully
  • provide adequately
  • provide generously
  • provide specifically
  • provide expressly (legal)

Phrases

  • provide for the future
  • provide in writing
  • provide by law

Prepositions

  • provide for
  • provide against
  • provide with

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

From Latin 'providēre', a combination of 'pro-' meaning 'forward, ahead' and 'vidēre' meaning 'to see'. The original sense was 'to see ahead, to foresee'. Over time it shifted from mental foresight to practical action — making arrangements in advance, and eventually to supplying what is needed. This older sense of 'foreseeing and preparing' survives in the related word 'provision' (supplies gathered in advance). The modern legal sense, 'to state as a condition', follows a similar path: a law or contract 'foresees' certain situations and 'states' what should happen.