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

People who use the assistant should configure permissions carefully, though as Aten’s experience suggests, that precaution only goes so far. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026

An ideal approach is to configure your risk model to account for volume and persistence. — Steve Durbin, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Clicking the panel for this feature takes you to the Avira account to configure it online. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026

When an attacker moves laterally through a network undetected, investigators often examine whether monitoring capabilities were absent, improperly configured or ignored after generating alerts. — Ascend Agency, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 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