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 16-inch laptop is configured with an AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX processor, RTX 5060 graphics, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB SSD. —Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 23 June 2026

All the more reason to check out the second row, which, in Europe at least, can be configured with either a three-seat bench or a pair of captain’s chairs. —Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 19 June 2026

To combat the physical toll of the journey, Qantas is configuring these aircraft to carry significantly fewer passengers than standard A350s — just 238, compared to the standard 400 — leaving more space for those on board. —Jake McGowan, CNN Money, 19 June 2026

Grasshopper is about as easy to configure as Google Voice, which is a good thing. —John Brandon, PC Magazine, 17 June 2026

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