prepare

verb

pre·​pare pri-ˈper 

prepared; preparing

transitive verb

1

a

: to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activity

prepare food for dinner

b

: to put in a proper state of mind

is prepared to listen

2

: to work out the details of : plan in advance

preparing a campaign strategy

3

a

: to put together : compound

prepare a prescription

b

: to put into written form

prepare a report

intransitive verb

: to get ready

preparing for a career

preparer noun

Synonyms

• fit
• fix
• groom
• lay
• prep
• ready

Examples of prepare in a Sentence

The teacher prepared the students for the test.

Your room is being prepared now and should be ready soon.

The nurses prepared the patient for surgery.

Farmers are busy preparing the soil for planting.

They'll be arriving soon. We don't have much more time to prepare.

We don't have much more time to prepare ourselves for their arrival.

She tried to prepare herself for bad news.

The sailors are preparing themselves for a long voyage.

The pharmacist prepared the prescription.

Recent Examples on the Web

Remembering how a few crucial opportunities to work on calligraphy and design at a young age prepared him for his career in film, fashion, and painting, Yi Ming hopes to open similar doors for other young artists. —Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025

In short, the US was preparing for a world with a rising demand for ever scarcer, more expensive fossil fuels, most of which would have to come from abroad. —Umair Irfan, Vox, 23 Apr. 2025

One, a weak foundation will not prepare tomorrow’s inventors, engineers, and scientists. —Miguel Cardona, Time, 23 Apr. 2025

Trump has called for interest rate cuts in the current environment, though that would be somewhat counterintuitive as businesses prepare for price increases from the tariffs. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English preparen, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French preparer, borrowed from Latin praeparāre "to furnish beforehand, put in a state of readiness," from prae- pre- + parāre "to supply, provide, make ready" — more at pare

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for prepare

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

prepare

verb

pre·​pare pri-ˈpa(ə)r 

-ˈpe(ə)r

prepared; preparing

1

: to make ready beforehand

prepared us for the news

prepare for a test

2

: to put together the elements of : compound

prepare a prescription

preparer noun

Medical Definition

prepare

transitive verb

pre·​pare pri-ˈpa(ə)r, -ˈpe(ə)r 

prepared; preparing

1

: to make ready beforehand

prepare a patient for surgery

2

: to put together : compound

prepared a vaccine from live virus

prepared the doctor's prescription