equal

adjective \ ˈē-kwəl \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: equal in a Sentence

Definition of equal

1 a (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

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

b : suitable

bored with work not equal to his abilities

See equal defined for English-language learners

See equal defined for kids

Examples of equal in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of equal from the Web

On Thursday, the toy company held a promotion called Pay Your Age Day, where customers could purchase a plush toy for a price equal to their child's age.

— brett molina, USA TODAY, "Build-a-Bear blunder: Other company promotions that epically failed," 13 July 2018
The format’s 16-year run featured blowouts and nail-biting finishes in almost equal measure, but every champion had some singular performance that helped make the difference.

— ben ladner, SI.com, "The 10 Best National Championship Game Performances of the BCS Era," 13 July 2018
Under the second, everyone would receive benefits equal to the current minimum-income guarantee, and taxes would rise to pay for it, if necessary.

— The Economist, "The welfare state needs updating," 12 July 2018
Four days later, a Wisconsin man with an equal love of muskies snagged a line while fishing the same water.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Extraordinary musky fishing tale, verified and true, comes to happy ending," 11 July 2018
Wimbledon, the last of the four Grand Slam tournaments to give equal prize money to men and women, only made this change in 2007.

— emily cassidy /, NBC News, "In the Know: Women in the news," 6 July 2018
Assembly Bill 2459: Would provide a personal income tax credit for nearly 400,000 low- and moderate-income people who purchase insurance through Covered California, equal to the amount of their health insurance premiums.

— angela hart, sacbee, "Here are the 16 health care bills proposed after California shelved single-payer," 6 July 2018
This means the pro game always begins near the middle of the field, with relatively equal spacing on both sides.

— andy benoit, SI.com, "NFL and College Football Are Not the Same Game," 11 July 2018
Beijing retaliated with an equal amount of tariffs on U.S. products, including soybeans, electric cars and whiskey.

— annabelle liang, The Seattle Times, "Asian markets mirror optimism on Wall Street," 10 July 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of equal

Middle English, from Latin aequalis, from aequus level, equal

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

equal Synonyms

Phrases

at peace;

Synonym Discussion of equal

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

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

equal

noun

Definition of equal

1 : one that is equal

insists that women can be absolute equals with men
—Anne Bernays

2 : an equal quantity

See equal defined for English-language learners

Examples of equal in a Sentence

I consider him my equal.
We are all equals here.

Recent Examples of equal from the Web

The casting of the current production at the Lincoln Center Theater makes the teacher-student confrontation more a battle of equals: Lauren Ambrose, who plays Eliza, is three years older than Harry Hadden-Paton, who plays Higgins.

— corby kummer, The Atlantic, "How Do Carousel and My Fair Lady Fare in 2018?," 8 July 2018
Slick subordinates who establish a rapport with investors may start acting like your equals.

— The Economist, "Life as you know it is IPOver," 12 July 2018
Played by Rob James-Collier The guy is a major two-face, treating his equals like dirt while kissing up to the bosses.

— matthew gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, "The best villains on TV," 6 July 2018
Most European governments do not regard these postcolonial Arab monarchies and Zionist upstarts as anything near their equals.

— walter russell mead, WSJ, "Europe Is Feeling Trumped," 21 May 2018
Parents and school directors say the training commitment would be disproportionate to the amount of time parents spend helping in classrooms, which administrators said equals about three to six hours a month.

— debbie truong, Washington Post, "Parents fear proposed regulations could jeopardize co-op preschools in Virginia," 10 July 2018
Legend has it that Steve Jobs wore the same style of Issey Miyake turtleneck and jeans every day to eliminate wasted mental energy—fewer decisions about what to wear equals more brain space to innovate in other arenas.

— steff yotka, Vogue, "Wardrobe NYC Launches a Sport Capsule Complete With Exclusive New Adidas Sneakers," 10 July 2018
Excessive detergent Some people think that more soap equals cleaner clothes—but that's just not true.

— elana lyn gross, Cincinnati.com, "15 things you should never put in the washing machine," 5 July 2018
In fact, the average debt among public university graduates almost equals that of private colleges and university graduates in Massachusetts.

— byline, BostonGlobe.com, "Should Massachusetts drop tuition and fees for in-state students at its public colleges and universities?," 1 June 2018

First Known Use of equal

1573

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

equal Synonyms

Synonyms

coequal, coordinate, counterpart, equivalent, fellow, like, match, parallel, peer, rival;

Related Words

analogue (or analog);

double, half, mate, twin;

associate, colleague, companion, copartner, partner;

competitor;

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

equal

verb

Definition of equal

equaled or equalled; equaling or equalling

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

See equal defined for English-language learners

Examples of equal in a Sentence

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 of equal from the Web

This allows us to work as equals with senior management.

— Fortune, "Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.," 26 June 2018
Free to lift weights and run laps with their male colleagues as friendly equals.

— estelle hanania, Allure, "Sky Warriors: A Day in the Life of Women in the U.S. Air Force," 21 June 2018
For Mr Kim, the offer of a meeting as equals with the sitting president of the United States—external validation of his godlike status at home—was an unexpected and long-desired windfall.

— The Economist, "Dealing with North Korea, Trump puts showmanship first," 14 June 2018
That sum equates to 180.1 million on-demand audio streams for the set’s seven songs during the tracking week (as each SEA units equals 1,500 on-demand audio streams).

— keith caulfield, Billboard, "Kanye West Earns Eighth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Ye'," 10 June 2018
The summit typically comes last, in part because meeting a U.S. president is viewed as an incentive and a reward, a chance to be seen as equals on the global stage.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Trump says there's no need for extensive preparation before the summit with Kim Jong Un," 10 June 2018
The eighth amendment requires authorities to treat a fetus and its mother as equals under the law, effectively banning abortions.

— Bloomberg.com, "The Latest on Ireland’s Abortion Referendum," 26 May 2018
This means that while abs isolation exercises can play a role in building core strength and stability (which are important parts of healthy movement), endless abs circuits don't equal a six-pack.

— alexa tucker, SELF, "8 Pieces of Fitness Advice Trainers Wish People Would Stop Believing," 30 Apr. 2018
The key in such debates is humility to listen as equals for the best solutions.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Why Trump and Merkel must discuss migration," 26 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of equal

1590

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

equal Synonyms

Synonyms

correspond (to), match, parallel;

complement, supplement;

counterbalance, counterpoise;

echo, image, mirror, repeat;

add up (to), amount (to), approach, come (to), near;

measure (up), partake (of), rival, suggest;

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb

EQUAL Defined for English Language Learners

equal

adjective

Definition of equal for English Language Learners

: the same in number, amount, degree, rank, or quality
: having the same mathematical value
: not changing : the same for each person

equal

noun

Definition of equal for English Language Learners

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

equal

verb

Definition of equal for English Language Learners

—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)

EQUAL Defined for Kids

equal

adjective \ ˈē-kwəl \

Definition of equal for Students

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.

—

equally

\ˈē-kwə-lē\ adverb

We shared the profit equally.

equal

verb

Definition of equal for Students

equaled or equalled; equaling or equalling

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

equal

noun

Definition of equal for Students

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

Law Dictionary

equal

adjective

legal Definition of equal

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

Origin and Etymology of equal

Latin aequalis, from aequus level, equal

equal

noun

legal Definition of equal

: one that is equal

Learn More about equal

See words that rhyme with equal Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for equal Spanish Central: Translation of equal Nglish: Translation of equal for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of equal for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up equal? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

equal

Definition of equal

Examples of equal in a Sentence

Recent Examples of equal from the Web

Origin and Etymology of equal

equal Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

Synonym Discussion of equal

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

equal

Definition of equal

Examples of equal in a Sentence

Recent Examples of equal from the Web

First Known Use of equal

equal Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

equal

Definition of equal

Examples of equal in a Sentence

Recent Examples of equal from the Web

First Known Use of equal

equal Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

Phrases Related to EQUAL

Related Phrases

EQUAL Defined for English Language Learners

equal

Definition of equal for English Language Learners

equal

Definition of equal for English Language Learners

equal

Definition of equal for English Language Learners

EQUAL Defined for Kids

equal

Definition of equal for Students

equally

equal

Definition of equal for Students

equal

Definition of equal for Students

Law Dictionary

equal

legal Definition of equal

Origin and Etymology of equal

equal

legal Definition of equal

Learn More about equal

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

9 Words for Places People Call "Home"

Trending: Brennan: Trump's Claims are 'Hogwash'

'Banana Republic': A History

The Eponym Quiz

Ghost Word