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 The only data that was inserted was the hostname, which is something that needed administrator access to configure. —

Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 30 Oct. 2023 The up-to-date kitchen, with polished concrete countertops, two sinks, and designer appliances, is configured around a center island alongside a casual dining area. —

Mark David, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2023 The atrium in the lobby — which is required to be open to the public — was configured like a particularly fancy shopping mall, with a lot of creamy marble and bronze everywhere and a big waterfall. —

Curbed, 2 Oct. 2023 The Alexa app features indoor humidity sensor reporting, energy dashboard monitoring, and scheduling (up to four time periods can be configured, each day of the week). —

Rennie Dyball, Peoplemag, 9 Nov. 2023 These dating types are usually configured from your personal life, previous upbringing, or positive romantic encounters. —

Dominique Fluker, Essence, 9 Nov. 2023 The higher end models (with four ports) can be configured up to 2 terabytes of storage. —

Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2023 The left panel is used for everything from selecting Drive or Reverse to configuring ADAS settings. —

Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 25 Oct. 2023 After more than a decade in a horizontal position inside the museum, it will be configured into a full-stack arrangement as if it were being prepared for launch at the new $400-million Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. —

Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'configure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of configure was in 1677

See more words from the same year