equal

adjective \ ˈē-kwəl \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

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 {frac1 and {frac2 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

The legislation would impose a 10-year minimum prison sentence and fines equal to an executive’s compensation package if the individual’s company is found to have illegally contributed to the opioid crisis.

— lev facher, STAT, "Bernie Sanders introduces bill to impose jail time for execs behind opioid crisis," 17 Apr. 2018
Each state gets a number of electors equal to its total number of representatives on Capitol Hill.

— z. byron wolf, CNN, "The other reason to split up California that nobody is talking about," 17 Apr. 2018
Students who do well and pass a set of proctored exams earn a MicroMasters, equal to somewhere between a quarter and a half of of a typical master’s degree.

— jeffrey selingo, The Atlantic, "The Future of College Looks Like the Future of Retail," 16 Apr. 2018
That means all day, every day, equal pay, every way.

— melania hidalgo, The Cut, "All the Celebrities Who Have Spoken Out About Equal Pay in Hollywood," 10 Apr. 2018
Now, Williams and her sister, Serena, are adding their names and voices to the push for equal pay across all types of jobs that the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative (BJKLI) is championing.

— howard fendrich, Houston Chronicle, "Venus, Serena Williams join Billie Jean King in equal pay push," 10 Apr. 2018
Last year, the Border Patrol's 16,600 agents made 310,000 arrests, equal to 19 arrests per agent.

— author: nick miroff, paul sonne, Anchorage Daily News, "Troops sent by Trump to border will fly drones, gather intel – and clear brush, too," 10 Apr. 2018
The push is one of a growing number of efforts among Western countries to promote the principle of equal pay.

— liz alderman, New York Times, "Britain Aims to Close Gender Pay Gap With Transparency and Shame," 4 Apr. 2018
Every state except for Alabama and Mississippi has equal-pay laws, according to the American Association of University Women, an advocacy group.

— kate king, WSJ, "New Jersey Looks to Strengthen Pay-Equity Laws," 25 Mar. 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

Arctic cultures saw whale hunting as a match between equals.

— krista langlois, Smithsonian, "Why Scientists Are Starting to Care About Cultures Who Talk to Whales," 6 Apr. 2018
First among equals is Cranston’s Chief, a street dog whose impulse is to bite any hand that feeds him.

— ty burr, BostonGlobe.com, "Canines (and kids) to the rescue in ‘Isle of Dogs’," 26 Mar. 2018
And although Phantom Thread, another of the best picture nominees, centers on a male fashion designer, the women in his life, played by Vicky Krieps and best supporting actress nominee Lesley Manville, are every bit his equals.

— gregg kilday, The Hollywood Reporter, "Oscars: Academy Embraces Outsiders as 'The Shape of Water' Gets 13 Noms," 23 Jan. 2018
Our audience is 40 percent women, and our women weren't always treated as equals.

— steve credo, Fox News, "WWE's Stephanie McMahon talks first wrestling memories, signing Ronda Rousey," 5 Apr. 2018
Underclassmen are treated as equals; the captains are just as likely as freshmen to be picking up cones after practice.

— dave kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Catholic Memorial dynasty is about more than just winning girls soccer games," 4 Apr. 2018
Around half of single Black women have zero or negative wealth, meaning their debt equals or exceeds their assets.

— donna owens, Essence.com, "Her Dream Deferred: Black Women Convene In D.C. To Explore Our Status In America," 2 Apr. 2018
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is first among equals in the 12-region system that makes up the overall Federal Reserve.

— matthew yglesias, Vox, "John Williams will likely be the next president of the New York Fed," 27 Mar. 2018
And asked if men accept and treat women as equals, some 61% of women and 43% of men said no—the same as in a September, 1999, Journal/NBC News poll.

— janet hook and lauren weber, WSJ, "Working Mothers Gain Acceptance, But Perceptions of Sexism Persist, Poll Shows," 22 Mar. 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

Comfort always equals confidence and this season, there’s no better footwear than a warm and fuzzy slipper to wear while getting through that daunting to-do list.

— brooke bobb, Vogue, "Would You Wear Slippers to Work?," 2 Nov. 2017
The Saints have won four in a row and the Bears two straight, equaling their win total from a year ago.

— SI.com, "Opening Betting Lines for NFL Week 8's Games," 24 Oct. 2017
Some writers about science use sentences like x equals nothing but y. Love is nothing more than the excitation of neurons in the brain, something like that.

— dan stewart, Time, "Philip Pullman on His New Trilogy, His Influences and the Upcoming His Dark Materials TV Show," 18 Oct. 2017
Only Oasis, Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys have equalled or bettered the Killers' sequence of U.K. album chart-toppers; Keane scored five, including one EP release.

— paul sexton, Billboard, "The Killers Hit Five U.K. No. 1s in a Row With 'Wonderful Wonderful'," 29 Sep. 2017
In Division V, Bethel-Tate has equaled last year's win total with a 33-28 win against Western Brown, while Mariemont (night) might be knocking on the door of the top eight after defeating Madeira.

— scott springer, Cincinnati.com, "Scott Springer chews on OHSAA computer rankings, Ragland and Benintendi ball," 23 Sep. 2017
Will the Spartans equal their win total from last season — in Week 3?

— jeff seidel, Detroit Free Press, "Crystal ball: MSU’s strength is Michigan’s weakness; both get wins," 21 Sep. 2017
The 32-year-old equaled Michael Schumacher's all-time F1 record of 68 poles during Saturday's qualifying before bossing the race to seal his fifth victory of the year.

— matthew knight, CNN, "F1: Hamilton and Vettel lock horns at Italy's 'Temple of Speed'," 1 Sep. 2017
In many people's eyes, fat equals lazy/unhealthy/gross.

— lexie manion, Cosmopolitan, "When Fat-Shaming Bullies Terrorized This Body Positive Instagrammer, She Used A Genius Strategy to Cope," 26 Oct. 2017

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

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equal

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equal

Definition of equal

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EQUAL Defined for English Language Learners

equal

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equal

Definition of equal for English Language Learners

equal

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EQUAL Defined for Kids

equal

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equally

equal

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equal

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equal

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