equal

\ ˈē-kwəl

How to pronounce equal (audio)

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Definition of equal

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a(1) : of the same measure, quantity, amount, or number as another

(2) : identical in mathematical value or logical denotation : equivalent

b : like in quality, nature, or status

c : like for each member of a group, class, or society provide equal employment opportunities

2 : regarding or affecting all objects in the same way : impartial

3 : free from extremes: such as

a : tranquil in mind or mood

b : not showing variation in appearance, structure, or proportion

4a : capable of meeting the requirements of a situation or a task

b : suitable bored with work not equal to his abilities

equal

Definition of equal (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : one that is equal insists that women can be absolute equals with men— Anne Bernays

2 : an equal quantity

equal

equaled or equalled; equaling or equalling

Definition of equal (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to be equal to especially : to be identical in value to

2 archaic : equalize

3 : to make or produce something equal to

Other Words from equal Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about equal

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Choose the Right Synonym for equal

Adjective

same, selfsame, very, identical, equivalent, equal mean not different or not differing from one another. same may imply and selfsame always implies that the things under consideration are one thing and not two or more things. took the same route derived from the selfsame source very, like selfsame, may imply identity, or, like same may imply likeness in kind. the very point I was trying to make identical may imply selfsameness or suggest absolute agreement in all details. identical results equivalent implies amounting to the same thing in worth or significance. two houses equivalent in market value equal implies being identical in value, magnitude, or some specified quality. equal shares in the business

Examples of equal in a Sentence

Adjective an equal number of apples and oranges We divided the profits into three equal shares. The play combines tragedy and comedy in equal measure. The opposing candidate has demanded equal time on television. The fractions 1/2 and 2/4 are equal. providing equal opportunities for children of all races We need to have equal academic standards for male and female students. Noun I consider him my equal. We are all equals here. Verb Nothing can ever equal that experience. See if you can equal that! a weight lifter attempting to equal his rival's performance No one can equal him in chess.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The disparity deprives large numbers of citizens of their right to equal justice. — Robert Mccartney, Washington Post, "Washington region has problems with police shootings and racist practices, too," 29 June 2020 Plenty is riding on the league returning smoothly and with minimal hiccups; Risk cannot be entirely eliminated, Dulle said, but everyone at the club can play an equal part in making sure to mitigate it. — Briar Napier, The Arizona Republic, "Phoenix Rising GM: No perfect way to return to sports," 27 June 2020 Ford and Volkswagen have equal stakes in Argo and together own a large majority of the company. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Amazon pays $1.2 billion for self-driving startup Zoox," 26 June 2020 Banning hundreds of thousands of foreign workers hand-picked by their US employers will not result in an equal number of American job opportunities. — CNN, "By blocking visas for foreign workers, Trump is further hurting the US economy," 26 June 2020 When the dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and divide it into 8 equal portions. — cleveland, "Homemade crackers: Who needs a box?," 25 June 2020 Life felt like an equal mix of Back to the Future Part II and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s prairie novel The Long Winter. — Ashley Fetters, The Atlantic, "The Weird Retro-Futurism of Pandemic Life," 25 June 2020 Instead, the Black Student Union will adopt a council-style leadership structure to give equal weight to its members’ voices. — oregonlive, "As protests continue in Portland, Black students at Wilson High reflect on their own struggles against racism," 25 June 2020 Sponsors took notice, eager to show their support for the U.S. women’s equal pay fight. — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, "NWSL knows there are risks, hopes there are rewards in being first pro league back," 24 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Such a deal is expected to be an all-stock merger-of-equals, and not impact ongoing plans for United Technologies to spin off its Otis elevator and Carrier building systems units. — Edward Baig, USA TODAY, "United Technologies and Raytheon in advanced merger talks, reports say," 9 June 2019 Everyone saw them as joint regents, a woman and a man who are equals, who are reigning together. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "Get an exclusive first look at The Spanish Princess season 2," 7 May 2020 In our rolling-start, 5-to-60-mph test, which is a better gauge of the feeling of quickness in normal driving, the two are near equals, with the Kia at 7.1 seconds and the Toyota 7.2. — Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, "2020 Kia Telluride vs. 2020 Toyota Highlander: A Battle for Three-Row Supremacy," 31 Mar. 2020 Now, supporters of the move argue, there is one person — Dunn — in control who will take plans to Biden, rather than what has long been a committee of equals around Biden’s kitchen table. — Philip Elliott / Goffstown, Time, "After A Rocky Start in Iowa, Joe Biden Shakes Up His Campaign," 8 Feb. 2020 How many of us in the party’s new postgraduate leadership caste have even a single friendship, a real one, of two equals, with any man or woman who is just a high school graduate? — Thomas Geoghegan, The New Republic, "This is a high school nation," 20 Jan. 2020 One week of benefits will be added for every 0.5 percent increase with a cap of 20 weeks if the state’s average unemployment rate equals or exceeds 9.5 percent. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, "Unemployment benefit changes in Alabama: Jobless benefits cut from 26 to 14 weeks," 8 Jan. 2020 The acquisition of Carrizo by Callon in a merger-of-near-equals was tweaked in November and the shareholder votes delayed because of investor activism that threatened to scuttle the deal. — Jordan Blum, Houston Chronicle, "Callon-Carrizo merger closing Friday after shareholders approve deal," 20 Dec. 2019 But in this battle, like many others to come, the women were not equals. — USA Today, "‘Brilliant and politically savvy:’ The roles of African American women in the fight to vote 100 years ago," 26 Feb. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb No More is to give the viewer a sense of free will while maintaining an environment that does not respond to their choices; immersive here does not equal interactive. — Brian Barrett, Wired, "Pokemon Go and Sleep No More Creators Are Teaming Up on AR," 30 June 2020 During the 2018 Camp Fire, which lasted 17 days and killed 85 people, residents of nearby Northern California communities breathed in enough smoke to equal half a pack of cigarettes. — Eric Roston, Bloomberg.com, "Wildfires Are Taking an Unexpectedly Huge Toll on America’s Lungs," 30 June 2020 An encounter with the police should not equal a death sentence. — Stephanie Busari, CNN, "What speaking to my daughter about George Floyd taught me about my race privilege as an African," 10 June 2020 New Jersey is among the states with the lowest trend in new cases in the country, but Gov. Phil Murphy said that does not equal clearance to throw out precautions. — Madeline Holcombe, CNN, "Model projects 200,000 people in the US could die of coronavirus by October," 16 June 2020 The first round of write downs and impairment charges are expected to equal between $13 and $17.5 billion, to be finalized when the company announces its second quarter results in early August, BP said in a release. — Katherine Dunn, Fortune, "For BP, a path to zero emissions is taking shape. It’s going to cost them," 15 June 2020 Based on the most recent audited figures, that total would equal to approximately $1.1 million from a revenue base of $223.9 million. — Brian Davis, USA TODAY, "Texas athletes call for changes to address university's racial past and future," 12 June 2020 This is the world of clock arithmetic, in which 7 + 6 wraps around the 12-hour clock to equal 1. — Quanta Magazine, "The ‘Useless’ Perspective That Transformed Mathematics," 9 June 2020 The numbers in each sector of the above circle, square, and star equal the sum of the numbers in the circles that border them. — Popular Science, "Give your brain a workout with these unique number puzzles," 7 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'equal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near equal

equal counterpoint

Statistics for equal

Last Updated

2 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Equal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equal. Accessed 10 Jul. 2020.

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More Definitions for equal

equal

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of equal

(Entry 1 of 3)

: the same in number, amount, degree, rank, or quality

: having the same mathematical value

: not changing : the same for each person

equal

noun

English Language Learners Definition of equal (Entry 2 of 3)

: someone or something that is as good, skillful, valuable, etc., as another person or thing

equal

verb

English Language Learners Definition of equal (Entry 3 of 3)

—used to say that one amount or number is the same as another

: to be as good as (something else)

: to produce something that is as good as (something else) or to do something as well as (someone else)

See the full definition for equal in the English Language Learners Dictionary

equal

\ ˈē-kwəl

\

Kids Definition of equal

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : exactly the same in number, amount, degree, rank, or quality an equal share of equal importance

2 : the same for each person equal rights

3 : having enough strength, ability, or means He's equal to the task.

equal

equaled or equalled; equaling or equalling

Kids Definition of equal (Entry 2 of 3)

: to be the same in number, amount, degree, rank, or quality as

equal

Kids Definition of equal (Entry 3 of 3)

: someone or something that is as good or valuable as another

equal

Legal Definition of equal

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : like in quality, nature, or status

2 : like for each member of a group, class, or society

3 : regarding or affecting all objects in the same way : impartial

equal

Legal Definition of equal (Entry 2 of 2)

: one that is equal

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