Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

prepare

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb British English pronunciation: prepare /prɪˈpeə(r)/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theyprepare
he/she/itprepares
present participlepreparing
past tenseprepared
past participleprepared
  1. 1
    [transitive] to make something ready for use

    I was asked to prepare a report for our next meeting.

    prepare something for someone/something:

    Wendy helped Karen prepare the room for their guests.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of prepare
    1. a.
      to make food ready to be cooked or eaten, for example by cleaning or cutting it

      Wash your hands before eating or preparing food.

      prepare something for someone:

      Bob was preparing breakfast for everyone.

      prepare someone something:

      The ship's chef prepared us a light lunch.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of prepare
  2. 2
    [intransitive/transitive] to make plans for a future event so that you will be ready for it
    prepare for:

    Traders began to prepare for the annual surge of Christmas shoppers.

    prepare something for someone/something:

    We're preparing a special reception for him when he returns.

    prepare to do something:

    Medical teams are preparing to leave for Mombasa to treat survivors.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of prepare
  3. 3
    [intransitive/transitive] to make yourself or someone else ready and able to deal with a future event

    The early introduction of the bill gives councils time to prepare themselves.

    We were all working hard to prepare for the wedding.

    prepare (yourself) for something:

    I think you should prepare yourself for a shock.

    prepare someone for something:

    This course prepares graduates for management careers in the tourist industry.

    prepare (yourself) to do something:

    She knocked twice on the door and prepared herself to meet her new son-in-law.

    prepare someone to do something:

    We aim to cover your basic military training and prepare you to join the Navy team.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of prepare
  4. 4
    [transitive] to make a medicine or chemical by mixing substances together

    These remedies are prepared from the flowers of wild plants, bushes, and trees.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of prepare

phrase

This is the British English definition of prepare. View American English definition of prepare.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

tweet

the short high sound that a small bird makes

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog