Provide

• POS: Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: pro=vide

CIDE DICTIONARY

Provide, v. t. [L. providere, provisum; pro before + videre to see. See Vision, and cf. Prudent, Purvey.].

•  To look out for in advance; to procure beforehand; to get, collect, or make ready for future use; to prepare.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  To supply; to afford; to contribute.  [1913 Webster]

  "Bring me berries, or such cooling fruit
  As the kind, hospitable woods provide."  [1913 Webster]
•  To furnish; to supply; -- formerly followed by of, now by with.  [1913 Webster]
•  To establish as a previous condition; to stipulate; as, the contract provides that the work be well done.  [1913 Webster]
•  To foresee.

  "[A Latinism]"  B. Jonson.  [1913 Webster]
•  To appoint to an ecclesiastical benefice before it is vacant. See Provisor.  Prescott.  [1913 Webster]

Provide, v. i. 

•  To procure supplies or means in advance; to take measures beforehand in view of an expected or a possible future need, especially a danger or an evil; -- followed by against or for; as, to provide against the inclemency of the weather; to provide for the education of a child.  [1913 Webster]

  "Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants."  [1913 Webster]
•  To stipulate previously; to condition; as, the agreement provides for an early completion of the work.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Provide, v.
1 tr. supply; furnish (provided them with food; provided food for them; provided a chance for escape).
2 intr. a (usu. foll. by for, against) make due preparation (provided for any eventuality; provided against invasion). b (usu. foll. by for) prepare for the maintenance of a person etc.
3 tr. (also refl.) equip with necessities (they had to provide themselves).
4 tr. (usu. foll. by that) stipulate in a will, statute, etc.
5 tr. (usu. foll. by to) Eccl. hist. a appoint (an incumbent) to a benefice. b (of the Pope) appoint (a successor) to a benefice not yet vacant.

Etymology

ME f. L providere (as PRO-(1), videre vis- see)

THESAURUS

Provide

accommodate, accommodate with, accord, afford, anticipate, arrange, arrange for, attend to, care for, cater, clear for action, clear the decks, clothe, contribute, cure, deliver, demand, deploy, dispense, donate, dress, endow, equip, favor with, feed, fill, fill up, find, fix, fix up, forearm, fund, furnish, get ready, give, hand, hand over, heap upon, indulge with, invest, keep, lavish upon, lay down, lend, look after, maintain, make arrangements, make available, make preparations, make provision for, make ready, marshal, minister to, mobilize, offer, outfit, plan, pour on, prearrange, prep, prepare, prepare for, present, pretreat, process, produce, provender, provide for, purvey, put in shape, ready, ready up, recruit, replenish, require, settle preliminaries, shower down upon, specify, state, stipulate, stock, stock up, store, subsidize, supply, support, take care of, take measures, take precautions, tan, transfer, treat, trim, try out, turn over, victual, yield

ROGET THESAURUS

Provide

Provision

VB provide, make provision, make due provision for, lay in, lay in a stock, lay in a store, supply, suppeditate, furnish, find, find one in, arm, cater, victual, provision, purvey, forage, beat up for, stock, stock with, make good, replenish, fill, fill up, recruit, feed, have in store, have in reserve, keep, keep by one, keep on foot, keep on hand, have to fall back upon, store, provide against a rainy day.

Preparation

VB prepare, get ready, make ready, make preparations, settle preliminaries, get up, sound the note of preparation, set in order, put in order, forecast, prepare the ground, plow the ground, dress the ground, till the soil, cultivate the soil, predispose, sow the seed, lay a train, dig a mine, lay the groundwork, fix the groundwork, lay the basis, fix the basis, lay the foundations, fix the foundations, dig the foundations, erect the scaffolding, lay the first stone, roughhew, cut out work, block out, hammer out, lick into shape, elaborate, mature, ripen, mellow, season, bring to maturity, nurture, hatch, cook, brew, temper, anneal, smelt, barbecue, infumate, maturate, equip, arm, man, fit-out, fit up, furnish, rig, dress, garnish, betrim, accouter, array, fettle, fledge, dress up, furbish up, brush up, vamp up, refurbish, sharpen one's tools, trim one's foils, set, prime, attune, whet the knife, whet the sword, wind up, screw up, adjust, put in trim, put in train, put in gear, put in working order, put in tune, put in a groove for, put in harness, pack, train, inure, breed, prepare for, rehearse, make provision for, take steps, take measures, take precautions, provide, provide against, beat up for recruits, open the door to, set one's house in order, make all snug, clear the decks, clear for action, close one's ranks, shuffle the cards, prepare oneself, serve an apprenticeship, lay oneself out for, get into harness, gird up one's loins, buckle on one's armor, reculer pour mieux sauter, prime and load, shoulder arms, get the steam up, put the horses to, guard against, make sure against, forearm, make sure, prepare for the evil day, have a rod in pickle, provide against a rainy day, feather one's nest, lay in provisions, make investments, keep on foot, be prepared, be ready, hold oneself in readiness, keep one's powder dry, lie in wait for, anticipate, principiis obstare, veniente occurrere morbo.