provided

provided — verb

1. the past and past-participle form of 'provide' — appearing in perfect constructi

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

the past and past-participle form of 'provide' — appearing in perfect constructions (has/have/had provided) and passive voice (was/were provided with) to indicate that something was given or made available earlier

Example

All the art materials were provided by the community centre for free.

passive: were provided by [someone]

The local council provided Aylin's family with a larger apartment after the fire.

collocation: provided [someone] with [something]

Common collocations
  • provided with
  • provided for
  • provided by
  • provided to
Synonyms
  • supplied

    more about making something available in necessary quantities, often in a business context

  • furnished

    more formal; often used for equipment or official information

Antonyms
  • withheld

    deliberately not given when expected

Grammar Patterns

be provided with [something]

provide [something] for [someone]

have provided [something]

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive voice. In passive sentences, 'provided with' introduces what someone receives ('Students were provided with laptops'), while 'provided by' introduces the giver ('Laptops were provided by the school').

Common Mistakes

The company provided them new computers.
The company provided them with new computers.
'provide' requires 'with' before the person receiving something, or 'for' before the purpose.

2. to actively give or make available something that someone needs, as a present-te

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to actively give or make available something that someone needs, as a present-tense action rather than a past event — for example, a company provides its employees with equipment, or a teacher provides students with learning materials

Example

The hotel provided a free breakfast buffet for its guests every morning.

transitive: provided + direct object + for [recipient]

A local bakery provided fresh bread and pastries for the school fundraiser.

Common collocations
  • provided with
  • provided for
  • provided to
Synonyms
  • supply

    focuses on making enough of something available, often in ongoing or commercial contexts

  • give

    more general; does not imply meeting a specific need or being responsible for providing

  • offer

    implies the receiver has a choice to accept or refuse

Antonyms
  • withhold

    refuse to give something that is expected or needed

  • take away

    remove something that had been given

Grammar Patterns

provide [something] for [someone]

provide [someone] with [something]

provide [something] to [someone]

Usage Note

When describing the act of giving, two common patterns exist: 'provide something for someone' and 'provide someone with something'. Both are interchangeable — 'The company provided uniforms for its staff' means the same as 'The company provided its staff with uniforms.'

Common Mistakes

My uncle provided me a job.
My uncle provided me with a job.
'provide' must be followed by 'with' before the person receiving something, not a direct indirect object.
She provided for him food.
She provided him with food.' or 'She provided food for him.
Do not mix the two patterns.

3. to state officially and clearly in a law, contract, or other legal document what

3.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to state officially and clearly in a law, contract, or other legal document what must happen or be done, especially when certain conditions apply

Example

The lease provided that tenants could keep pets with the landlord's written permission.

provide + that-clause for legal conditions

The company's safety policy provided that all workers must wear protective helmets on site.

Common collocations
  • provided that
  • as provided in
  • provided for
Synonyms
  • stipulate

    more specific to contracts; 'stipulate' emphasizes an explicit requirement agreed upon by parties

  • specify

    broader — used in both legal and non-legal contexts to mean naming or stating exactly

  • state

    more general; does not carry the same legal force as 'provide'

Grammar Patterns

provide + that-clause

Usage Note

Almost always followed by a that-clause. The subject is typically a law, contract, agreement, policy, rule, or other formal document. This sense is rarely used in everyday conversation — it belongs to legal, official, and regulatory writing.

Common Mistakes

The contract provided to pay within 30 days.
The contract provided that payment must be made within 30 days.
This sense takes a that-clause, not an infinitive.
The rules provided students must wear uniforms.' (missing 'that')
The rules provided that students must wear uniforms.
In formal writing, the 'that' is normally kept.

provided — conjunction

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/2

Provide and supply both focus on making something needed available, but provide often suggests meeting a personal or organisational need (a school provides education), while supply emphasises quantity or continuity (a factory supplies parts to a warehouse). Give is the most general word — it does not imply responsibility or ongoing availability, just the act of transferring something. Offer adds the idea of choice: the receiver can accept or decline. Furnish is the most formal of the group and is used for equipping a space (furnish a room with furniture) or submitting official information (furnish a report to the board). For example: The charity provided warm clothes to refugees. A neighbour offered to drive her to the airport. The company supplied every employee with a new laptop.

provide ↗supply ↗give ↗offer ↗furnish ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • provided services
  • provided care
  • provided information

Adverbs

  • generously provided
  • specially provided
  • kindly provided

Prepositions

  • provided for
  • provided by

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Provided comes from Latin 'providēre', a combination of 'prō-' (forward, ahead) and 'vidēre' (to see). The original sense was 'to see ahead' or 'to foresee'. It entered English through Old French 'providere' in the 1400s. The conjunction use — meaning 'if' or 'on condition that' — developed from the phrase 'provided that', which literally meant 'look ahead to this condition being satisfied'. Over time, this conditional use became so common that it gained its own identity as a conjunction.