prepare

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pre·pare

(prĭ-pâr′)

v. pre·pared, pre·par·ing, pre·pares

v.tr.

1. To make ready beforehand for a specific purpose, as for an event or occasion: The teacher prepared the students for the exams.

2. To put together or make by combining various elements or ingredients; manufacture or compound: prepared a meal; prepared the lecture.

3. To fit out; equip: prepared the ship for an arctic expedition.

4. Music To lead up to and soften (a dissonance or its impact) by means of preparation.

v.intr.

To make things or oneself ready: I must prepare for my trip.

Idiom:

be prepared

To be willing (to do something): I am not prepared to defend him when I know he was wrong.

[Middle English preparen, from Old French preparer, from Latin praeparāre : prae-, pre- + parāre, prepare, equip; see perə- in Indo-European roots.]

pre·par′ed·ly (-pâr′ĭd-lē) adv.

pre·par′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

prepare

(prɪˈpɛə)

1. to make ready or suitable in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc: to prepare a meal; to prepare to go.

2. to put together using parts or ingredients; compose or construct

3. (tr) to equip or outfit, as for an expedition

4. (Music, other) (tr) music to soften the impact of (a dissonant note) by the use of preparation

5. be prepared (foll by an infinitive) to be willing and able (to do something): I'm not prepared to reveal these figures.

[C15: from Latin praeparāre, from prae before + parāre to make ready]

preˈparer n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pre•pare

(prɪˈpɛər)

v. -pared, -par•ing. v.t.

1. to put in proper condition or readiness.

2. to get (a meal) ready for eating, as by proper assembling, cooking, etc.

3. to manufacture, compound, or compose: to prepare a cough syrup.

v.i.

4. to put things or oneself in readiness; get ready: to prepare for exams.

[1520–30; < Latin praeparāre to ready beforehand =prae- pre- + parāre to set, get ready]

pre•par′er, n.

prepare

If you prepare a meal, you produce it by mixing foods together. Prepare is one of several verbs which can be used to say that someone produces a meal.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

prepare

Past participle: prepared
Gerund: preparing

Imperative
prepare
prepare

Present
I prepare
you prepare
he/she/it prepares
we prepare
you prepare
they prepare

Preterite
I prepared
you prepared
he/she/it prepared
we prepared
you prepared
they prepared

Present Continuous
I am preparing
you are preparing
he/she/it is preparing
we are preparing
you are preparing
they are preparing

Present Perfect
I have prepared
you have prepared
he/she/it has prepared
we have prepared
you have prepared
they have prepared

Past Continuous
I was preparing
you were preparing
he/she/it was preparing
we were preparing
you were preparing
they were preparing

Past Perfect
I had prepared
you had prepared
he/she/it had prepared
we had prepared
you had prepared
they had prepared

Future
I will prepare
you will prepare
he/she/it will prepare
we will prepare
you will prepare
they will prepare

Future Perfect
I will have prepared
you will have prepared
he/she/it will have prepared
we will have prepared
you will have prepared
they will have prepared

Future Continuous
I will be preparing
you will be preparing
he/she/it will be preparing
we will be preparing
you will be preparing
they will be preparing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been preparing
you have been preparing
he/she/it has been preparing
we have been preparing
you have been preparing
they have been preparing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been preparing
you will have been preparing
he/she/it will have been preparing
we will have been preparing
you will have been preparing
they will have been preparing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been preparing
you had been preparing
he/she/it had been preparing
we had been preparing
you had been preparing
they had been preparing

Conditional
I would prepare
you would prepare
he/she/it would prepare
we would prepare
you would prepare
they would prepare

Past Conditional
I would have prepared
you would have prepared
he/she/it would have prepared
we would have prepared
you would have prepared
they would have prepared

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	prepare - make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc; "Get the children ready for school!"; "prepare for war"; "I was fixing to leave town after I paid the hotel bill" gear up, ready, set, fix, set up alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" socialise, socialize - prepare for social life; "Children have to be socialized in school" provide - take measures in preparation for; "provide for the proper care of the passengers on the cruise ship" cram - prepare (students) hastily for an impending exam precondition - put into the required condition beforehand fix - kill, preserve, and harden (tissue) in order to prepare for microscopic study mount - fix onto a backing, setting, or support; "mount slides for macroscopic analysis" lay out, set up, set - get ready for a particular purpose or event; "set up an experiment"; "set the table"; "lay out the tools for the surgery" winterise, winterize - prepare for winter; "winterize cars"; "winterize your houses" summerise, summerize - prepare for summer; "summerize your car"; "summerize a house" prime - insert a primer into (a gun, mine, or charge) preparatory to detonation or firing; "prime a cannon"; "prime a mine" crop, cultivate, work - prepare for crops; "Work the soil"; "cultivate the land" brace, poise - prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
	2.	prepare - prepare for eating by applying heat; "Cook me dinner, please"; "can you make me an omelette?"; "fix breakfast for the guests, please" ready, cook, fix, make preserve, keep - prevent (food) from rotting; "preserved meats"; "keep potatoes fresh" dress out, dress - kill and prepare for market or consumption; "dress a turkey" create from raw material, create from raw stuff - make from scratch deglaze - dissolve cooking juices or solid food in (a pan) by adding liquid and stirring escallop, scallop - bake in a sauce, milk, etc., often with breadcrumbs on top flambe - pour liquor over and ignite (a dish) put on - put on the stove or ready for cooking; "put on the tea, please!" devil - coat or stuff with a spicy paste; "devilled eggs" precook - cook beforehand so that the actual preparation won't take long; "precook the rice" whip up, whomp up - prepare or cook quickly or hastily cook up, concoct - prepare or cook by mixing ingredients; "concoct a strange mixture" lard - prepare or cook with lard; "lard meat" make - gather and light the materials for; "make a fire"
	3.	prepare - to prepare verbally, either for written or spoken delivery; "prepare a report"; "prepare a speech" create, make - make or cause to be or to become; "make a mess in one's office"; "create a furor" rough, rough in, rough out - prepare in preliminary or sketchy form
	4.	prepare - arrange by systematic planning and united effort; "machinate a plot"; "organize a strike"; "devise a plan to take over the director's office" machinate, devise, organise, organize, get up initiate, pioneer - take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of; "This South African surgeon pioneered heart transplants" put on, mount - prepare and supply with the necessary equipment for execution or performance; "mount a theater production"; "mount an attack"; "mount a play" lay - prepare or position for action or operation; "lay a fire"; "lay the foundation for a new health care plan" set up - begin, or enable someone else to begin, a venture by providing the means, logistics, etc.; "set up an election" sandwich - make into a sandwich spatchcock - prepare for eating if or as if a spatchcock; "spatchcock a guinea hen" embattle - prepare for battle or conflict
	5.	prepare - educate for a future role or function; "He is grooming his son to become his successor"; "The prince was prepared to become King one day"; "They trained him to be a warrior" groom, train qualify, dispose - make fit or prepared; "Your education qualifies you for this job" train, prepare - undergo training or instruction in preparation for a particular role, function, or profession; "She is training to be a teacher"; "He trained as a legal aid" train, educate, prepare, develop - create by training and teaching; "The old master is training world-class violinists"; "we develop the leaders for the future" educate - give an education to; "We must educate our youngsters better" discipline, condition, train, check - develop (children's) behavior by instruction and practice; especially to teach self-control; "Parents must discipline their children"; "Is this dog trained?"
	6.	prepare - create by training and teaching; "The old master is training world-class violinists"; "we develop the leaders for the future" train, educate, develop build up, develop - change the use of and make available or usable; "develop land"; "The country developed its natural resources"; "The remote areas of the country were gradually built up" train, prepare - undergo training or instruction in preparation for a particular role, function, or profession; "She is training to be a teacher"; "He trained as a legal aid" retrain - teach new skills; "We must retrain the linguists who cannot find employment" drill - train in the military, e.g., in the use of weapons housebreak, house-train - train (a pet) to live cleanly in a house toilet-train - train (a small child) to use the toilet instruct, teach, learn - impart skills or knowledge to; "I taught them French"; "He instructed me in building a boat" groom, train, prepare - educate for a future role or function; "He is grooming his son to become his successor"; "The prince was prepared to become King one day"; "They trained him to be a warrior"
	7.	prepare - lead up to and soften by sounding the dissonant note in it as a consonant note in the preceding chord; "prepare the discord in bar 139" music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner sound - cause to sound; "sound the bell"; "sound a certain note"
	8.	prepare - undergo training or instruction in preparation for a particular role, function, or profession; "She is training to be a teacher"; "He trained as a legal aid" train learn, study, read, take - be a student of a certain subject; "She is reading for the bar exam" apprentice - be or work as an apprentice; "She apprenticed with the great master" retrain - train again; "He is retraining to become an IT worker" train, educate, prepare, develop - create by training and teaching; "The old master is training world-class violinists"; "we develop the leaders for the future" drill - undergo military training or do military exercises groom, train, prepare - educate for a future role or function; "He is grooming his son to become his successor"; "The prince was prepared to become King one day"; "They trained him to be a warrior"

prepare

verb

1. make or get ready, arrange, draw up, form, fashion, get up (informal), construct, assemble, contrive, put together, make provision, put in order He said the government must prepare an emergency plan for evacuation.

2. equip, fit, adapt, adjust, outfit, furnish, fit out, accoutre The crew has been preparing the ship for storage.

3. train, guide, prime, direct, coach, brief, discipline, groom, put someone in the picture It is a school's job to prepare students for university studies.

4. make, cook, put together, get, produce, assemble, muster, concoct, fix up, dish up, rustle up (informal) She found him in the kitchen, preparing dinner.

5. get ready, plan, anticipate, make provision, lay the groundwork, make preparations, arrange things, get everything set They were not given enough time to prepare for the election battle.

6. practise, get ready, train, exercise, warm up, get into shape giving the players a chance to prepare for the match

7. (usually reflexive) brace, ready, strengthen, fortify, steel, gird I began to prepare myself for the worst.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

prepare

verb

1. To cause to be ready, as for use, consumption, or a special purpose:

fit, fix, make, prime, ready.

2. To plan the details or arrangements of:

arrange, lay out, schedule, work out.

Translations

يُعِد

připravit

forberedeforberede sigtilberede

vorbereiten zubereiten bereiten dressieren einstellen

ετοιμάζω προετοιμάζω

preparar prepararse amasar capacitar disponer

valmistellavalmistaavalmistautua

préparer apprêter dresser

pripremitiprireditispremitipripraviti

elkészítelőkészítelőkészülfelkészülkészül

undirbúa

preparare preparativo preparato preparatorio preparazione

準備する

준비하다

būti pasiruošusiamparuošimaspasiruošęspasiruošimasprivati pradinė mokykla

gatavotgatavotiessagatavotsagatavoties

готовить готовиться изготовить

pripravitipripraviti se

förbereda

เตรียม

hazırlamahazırlamak

chuẩn bị

准备

prepare

[prɪˈpɛəʳ]

A. VT [+ meal, lesson, defence] → preparar; [+ report] → redactar, preparar; [+ plan, strategy] → idear, preparar
to prepare sb for sth → preparar a algn para algo
he had a tutor to prepare him for the exam → tenía un profesor particular para que lo preparara para el examen
nothing could have prepared me for this → nada hubiera podido ponerme en guardia contra esto
she tried to prepare her children for her death → intentó preparar a sus hijos para su muerte or para que aceptaran su muerte
to prepare o.s. for sth → prepararse para algo
prepare yourself for a shock (good) → prepárate para una sorpresa; (bad) → prepárate para lo peor
to prepare sth for sb → preparar algo a algn
they had prepared a room for him → le habían preparado una habitación
to prepare the ground or way (for sth/sb) → preparar el terreno (para algo/algn)

B. VI → prepararse
to prepare for sth → prepararse para algo
to prepare for an examination → prepararse para un examen
we must prepare for war → tenemos que prepararnos para la guerra
I think you'd better prepare for the worst → creo que deberías prepararte para lo peor
to prepare to do sth → prepararse para hacer algo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

prepare

[prɪˈpɛə^r]

[lesson, report, ship, room, food] → préparer
She has to prepare lessons in the evening → Elle doit préparer ses cours le soir.
It takes a long time to prepare → Cela prend longtemps à préparer.
On average each report requires 1,000 hours to prepare
BUT En moyenne, la préparation de chaque rapport demande 1 000 heures.
to prepare sth for sth → préparer qch pour qch
to prepare dinner → préparer le dîner
to prepare to do sth (= get ready) → se préparer à faire qch

to prepare o.s. → se préparer
to prepare o.s. for sth [+ shock, bad news] → se préparer à qch; [+ visit, meeting, event] → se préparer à qch

prepare for

vt fus [+ trip, elections, emergency, job interview, exams, departure] → préparer
to prepare for something → préparer quelque chose
We're preparing for our skiing holiday → Nous préparons nos vacances à la neige.
to prepare for action → se préparer à l'action

prepare

vt → vorbereiten (→ sb for sth jdn auf etw acc, → sth for sth etw für etw); meal, medicine → zubereiten; guest room → zurechtmachen, fertig machen; (Sci) → präparieren; data → aufbereiten; prepare yourself for a shock! → mach dich auf einen Schock gefasst!; we prepared ourselves for a long wait → wir machten uns auf eine lange Wartezeit gefasst; to prepare the ground for something → den Boden für etw bereiten

vi to prepare for something → sich auf etw (acc) → vorbereiten; the country is preparing for war → das Land trifft Kriegsvorbereitungen; to prepare to do something → Anstalten machen, etw zu tun

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

prepare

[prɪˈpɛəʳ]

1. vt → preparare
prepare yourself for a shock → preparati a uno shock
to prepare the way for sth → preparare il terreno per qc
to prepare to do sth → prepararsi a fare qc

2. vi to prepare for (journey, party, sb's arrival) → fare dei preparativi per; (exam, future) → prepararsi per
to prepare for war → prepararsi alla guerra

prepare

(priˈpeə) verb

to make or get ready. Have you prepared your speech for Thursday?; My mother prepared a meal; He prepared to go out; Prepare yourself for a shock.

preparation (prepəˈreiʃən) noun

1. the act of preparing. You can't pass an exam without preparation.

2. something done to prepare. She was making hasty preparations for her departure.

preparatory (-ˈpӕrə-) adjective

acting as an introduction or in order to prepare for something. Political leaders have agreed to meet for preparatory talks about an end to the war.

preˈpared adjective

(negative unprepared) made ready.

preparatory school (-ˈpӕrə-)

1. a private school which educates children in preparation for a senior school (abbreviation prep school (prep-) ).

2. (American) a private secondary school preparing students for college.

be prepared

(of a person) to be ready (for something, to do something etc). We must be prepared for a disappointment; I'm not prepared (=willing) to lend him more money; The motto of the Scouts is `Be Prepared!'.

prepare

→ يُعِد připravit forberede vorbereiten ετοιμάζω preparar valmistella préparer pripremiti preparare 準備する 준비하다 voorbereiden forberede przygotować preparar готовить(ся) förbereda เตรียม hazırlama chuẩn bị 准备

prepare

vt. preparar, poner en orden.

prepare

vt preparar

References in classic literature ?

Here, therefore, we have thought proper to prepare the mind of the reader for her reception, by filling it with every pleasing image which we can draw from the face of nature.

View in context

I shall quietly prepare for our departure, and own what I have done at the right time--that is to say, when the ball is over."

View in context

We arranged that Herbert should not come home to dinner before going to Mill Pond Bank that evening; that he should not go there at all, to-morrow evening, Tuesday; that he should prepare Provis to come down to some Stairs hard by the house, on Wednesday, when he saw us approach, and not sooner; that all the arrangements with him should be concluded that Monday night; and that he should be communicated with no more in any way, until we took him on board.

View in context

de Beaufort only acted in this manner to prepare for a new fortune concealed beneath the Arabs' tents.

View in context

What the diplomatic matter might be he did not care, but it gave him great pleasure to prepare a circular, memorandum, or report, skillfully, pointedly, and elegantly.