A Provide Synonym Guide — Definition, Antonyms, and Examples

There are numerous word pairings with slight variances in the English language. Can you list any ‘provide‘ synonyms by hand? All authors, whether pros or novices, face difficulty selecting the ideal synonym to convey their views.

Your reader will notice when you pay special attention to synonyms in your writing. The sentences become considerably more lucid and meaningful. Here is a ‘provide‘ synonym guide to help your writing and improve your grammar usage.

What Does Provide Mean?

The word ‘provide‘ means giving a person or people something they desire or require. It simply refers to making available a want or need.

Sentence examples of Provide

• My colleagues have promised to provide all the support we need.
• Our delivery will provide a means to that end.
• My job is to provide information on discounts and bookings.

Provide could also imply legal statements or plans that spell out how to deal with a specific problem. For instance,

• The treaty provides for the immediate submission of weapons and withdrawal of military presence from the area. 
• Their contracts provide that they will be paid on a commission basis.

Provide Synonym — Words with Similar Meanings

Bring

Bring means to transport or transmit someone or something towards the speaker.

Bring has Indo-European roots and is referred to as bringen in Middle English. Bringan is old English which means to bring, lead, bring forth, carry, adduce, produce, present, and offer.

Examples of sentences with bring

• Bring me my guitar and flute.
• Why not relax? Let me bring you a bottle of champagne.
• She had to bring him here to get a portrait of him.

Equip

Equip implies furnishing a person or location with things necessary for a specific purpose.

Equip is a French word that originated in 1520. It is équiper in French, meaning “to set up.” In the 12th century old French, equip was known as esquiper: “fit out a ship, load on board.”

Examples of sentences with Equip

•  Imagine you could equip and own a kidney dialysis center in all our major cities. 
• The institution aims to equip students to deal with real life issues they could face outside its walls.
• It will cost over $5000 to equip the entire unit.

Administer

Administer means to be accountable for providing someone something. It means overseeing and being responsible for the operation of a place or thing such as an organization, business, etc.

Administer is derived from Latin ‘administrare‘, which means “to manage, carry out.” The words, when split into ad (“to”) + ministrare mean “to attend, serve.” 

Examples of sentences with Administer

• Many tried to administer to her, but she knew it was futile and backed out.
• A nun can administer the communion.
• The quiz requires about 10 minutes to administer.

Antonyms — Exploring Words with Opposite Meanings

Deprive

Deprive means to prevent someone from something, especially something vital or enjoyable.

It was coined in the Mid-14c. from Old French ‘depriver‘ and Medieval Latin ‘deprivare.’ 

‘De‘ means “entirely,” while Latin ‘privare’ denotes “to deprive, rob, strip” of anything. From late 14c., it was seen as: “to keep someone from having.“

Examples of sentences using deprive

• And who was he to deprive her of her conjugal rights?
• For some reason, he wishes to deprive me of my family and friends.
• The prince was kind and did not deprive me the pleasure of hanging out with my friends.

Withhold

Withhold means to refuse to provide anything or to hold something back. It also refers to deducting from payment and retaining it.

The origin of ‘withhold‘ dates back to c. 1200. The term ‘with‘ refers to “back, away” and holden “to hold.” It was probably a loan translation of Latin ‘retinere’ meaning “to withhold.” 

Examples of sentences using withhold

•  The committee has decided to withhold part of the funds from certain groups. 
•  It was improper of the technician to withhold the information from the management.
•  It was evil of the police officer to withhold evidence.
• Why would you withhold information from the police?

To Wrap Up

The different and related meanings listed above can help define and even provide a more appropriate definition for your write-up on ‘provide.’

It’s essential to remember that not all pairs of English words are so easy to switch around. When you write, the small but significant differences in meaning between synonyms can make a big difference.