configure

verb

con·​fig·​ure kən-ˈfi-gyər 

 especially British  -ˈfi-gə

configured; configuring

transitive verb

: to set up for operation especially in a particular way

a fighter plane configured for the Malaysian air force

Examples of configure in a Sentence

The instructions tell you how to configure the kit correctly.

The plane is configured for military use.

Recent Examples on the Web

Seq 2-Story Prefabricated Tiny House The tiny home is fully customizable and can be configured as a one or two-story dwelling. —Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025

The Dell 14 Premium, especially as configured for our review, is difficult to fit into a particular niche. —Matthew Buzzi, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2025

Fluid Science Laboratory — Mike Fincke and Jonny Kim spent time configuring this European Space Agency (ESA) apparatus for researching the physics of fluid in microgravity. —Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2025

Outlook contacts/calendars may sync automatically depending on how your accounts are configured. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English configuren (as past participle configurid) "to model on, conform to," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French configurer "to compare, form," borrowed from Latin configūrāre "to mold, shape," from con- con- + figūrāre "to shape, form, make a likeness of" — more at figure entry 2

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing configure

• pre-configure

Rhymes for configure

• disfigure
• prefigure
• figure
• reconfigure

Kids Definition

configure

verb

con·​fig·​ure kən-ˈfig-yər 

configured; configuring

: to set up for operation especially in a particular way

ships configured for observation