Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To make available (something needed or desired); furnish.
  • intransitive verb To supply something needed or desired to.
  • intransitive verb To have as an available or desirable feature; afford.
  • intransitive verb To set down as a stipulation or requirement.
  • intransitive verb Archaic To make ready ahead of time; prepare.
  • intransitive verb To take measures in preparation.
  • intransitive verb To supply means of subsistence.
  • intransitive verb To make a stipulation or requirement.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To foresee; look forward to.
  • To procure beforehand; get, collect, or make ready for future use; prepare.
  • To furnish; supply: now often followed by with, but formerly also by of.
  • To make ready; prepare.
  • To make or lay down as a previous arrangement, guaranty, or provision; make a previous condition, supposition, or understanding: as, the agreement provides that the party shall incur no loss.
  • Eccles., to grant the right to be in future presented to a benefice which is not vacant at the time of the grant. See provision, 8.
  • To procure or furnish supplies, means of defense, or the like: as, to provide liberally for the table.
  • To take measures for counteracting or escaping something: often followed by against or for.
  • To make ready; prepare.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To look out for in advance; to procure beforehand; to get, collect, or make ready for future use; to prepare.
  • transitive verb To supply; to afford; to contribute.
  • transitive verb To furnish; to supply; -- formerly followed by of, now by with.
  • transitive verb To establish as a previous condition; to stipulate.
  • transitive verb obsolete To foresee.
  • transitive verb To appoint to an ecclesiastical benefice before it is vacant. See Provisor.
  • intransitive verb 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
  • intransitive verb To stipulate previously; to condition.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To make a living; earn money for necessities.
  • verb To act to prepare for something.
  • verb To determine the form of some situations, by means of a stipulation or condition.
  • verb To give what is needed or desired, especially basic needs.
  • verb To furnish with, cause to be present.
  • verb To make possible or attainable.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb make a possibility or provide opportunity for; permit to be attainable or cause to remain
  • verb determine (what is to happen in certain contingencies), especially by including a proviso condition or stipulation
  • verb give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance
  • verb take measures in preparation for
  • verb give something useful or necessary to
  • verb supply means of subsistence; earn a living
  • verb mount or put up

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English providen, from Latin prōvidēre, to provide for : prō-, forward; see pro– + vidēre, to see; see weid- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin prōvideō ("foresee, act with foresight").

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Examples

  • LMSs are configured to contain various technological and pedagogical tools that provide a Web (virtual) central location to: • deliver course specifications; •publish information that is related to the course; •provide specifications, directions, instruction and models of assignments; •supply the learning community with communicational tools for discussion; •include specific areas for collaborative work; • enable group process for development, but self-paced learning is possible as well; • develop and deploy Web-based products, • make available ongoing students 'assessment (Dabbagh, 2001).

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  • Most of the references you find about the term provide absolutely no indication that there is anything racist nor anything negative about the term. knick says:

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  • The way, the only way to reduce the deficit without becoming a third world country by striking the phrase 'provide for the general welfare' from the master plan... is to get people back to work.

    Breaking News: CBS News 2011

  • When the word provide is used by the government, rest assured someone's pocket is being picked. oldtimer

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  • But whatever his precise social status or reason forpreaching in the kingdom of Israel, the oracles recorded in his name provide a searing condemnation of the lavish lifestyles and material reality of Israel’s aristocracy in the eighth centuryBCE:

    The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

  • But whatever his precise social status or reason forpreaching in the kingdom of Israel, the oracles recorded in his name provide a searing condemnation of the lavish lifestyles and material reality of Israel’s aristocracy in the eighth centuryBCE:

    The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

  • But whatever his precise social status or reason forpreaching in the kingdom of Israel, the oracles recorded in his name provide a searing condemnation of the lavish lifestyles and material reality of Israel’s aristocracy in the eighth centuryBCE:

    The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

  • But whatever his precise social status or reason forpreaching in the kingdom of Israel, the oracles recorded in his name provide a searing condemnation of the lavish lifestyles and material reality of Israel’s aristocracy in the eighth centuryBCE:

    The Bible Unearthed Israel Finkelstein 2001

  • The only service they provide is to themselves by sucking at least 20% of the money from the system.

    Think Progress » After complaining that health care bills were too long, Boehner now complains that Obama’s is too short. 2010

  • Rush said: Acute downside growth risks in the near term provide a substantial disincentive to raising rates and the medium term inflation outlook remains contained, but this will not always be the case.

    Hopes that woman can succeed Andrew Sentance on Bank of England's MPC 2011

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