equate

verb

i-ˈkwāt 

ˈē-ˌkwāt

equated; equating

transitive verb

1

a

: to make equal : equalize

b

: to make such an allowance or correction in as will reduce to a common standard or obtain a correct result

2

: to treat, represent, or regard as equal, equivalent, or comparable

equates disagreement with disloyalty

intransitive verb

: to correspond as equal

Synonyms

• compare
• liken

Examples of equate in a Sentence

You shouldn't equate those two things.

a value system that equates money with success

Recent Examples on the Web

Passed down generationally, this mindset equates worthiness with hard work and relentless labor. —Amanda Miller Littlejohn, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025

This behavior equates a drop in price with a drop in quality, which is often not the case. —True Tamplin, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

Another page that online managers have borrowed from higher education's traditional pricing playbook is that consumers often equate high prices with high quality, especially at brand-name colleges and universities. —Jon Marcus, NPR, 15 Mar. 2025

Back in Moscow, Zakharova, Russia’s foreign-ministry spokesperson, who once expressed her support for the band, equated their condemnation of the war with sponsoring terrorism; Shura and Lyova feared that the group’s members could be extradited to Russia. —Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin aequatus, past participle of aequare

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing equate

• equate to
• equate with/and

Rhymes for equate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids Definition

equate

verb

i-ˈkwāt 

equated; equating

: to make or treat as equal or equivalent