furnish

verb fur·nish \ ˈfər-nish \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: furnish in a Sentence

Definition of furnish

furnished; furnishing; furnishes

transitive verb

1 : to provide with what is needed; especially : to equip with furniture

The inn is beautifully furnished.

2 : supply, give

furnished food and shelter for the refugees

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furnisher

noun

See furnish defined for English-language learners

See furnish defined for kids

Examples of furnish in a Sentence

The inn is beautifully furnished.
He has enough money to furnish the apartment nicely.
We'll furnish the food for the party.
Can he furnish the information to us?

Recent Examples of furnish from the Web

These are the offerings at roughly 200 furnished apartments around the Boston area now available for rent from 420 Suites, a spinoff of corporate rental firm Northeast Suites that’s launching this month.

— dan adams, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston firm offers marijuana-friendly lodging," 11 July 2018
Another officer pulled English aside and offered to set aside $100 so Russ could furnish her own place in the future.

— cortlynn stark, kansascity, "Mom almost called social services on herself. KCPD and its social workers stepped up," 10 July 2018
Over the years, Ikea has been a surefire spot for college students needing to inexpensively furnish an apartment, giving them their first exposure to the retailer.

— paul gores, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Ikea puts Oak Creek on map as a regional retail destination," 16 May 2018
The collection is available online for furnishing fanatics to peruse at their leisure.

— Vogue, "Introducing Vogue and Dorya’s New Furniture Line," 16 Apr. 2018
Gretchen Scheirr of the Rockets brought in Rooms To Go, who split the cost of furnishing the home with Mike and Laurel D'Antoni, with the design help of Marie Flanigan Interiors.

— jonathan feigen, Houston Chronicle, "Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni partners with organizations to renovate Hurricane Harvey victim's home," 16 Apr. 2018
Subsequent to our conversation, I was again asked about 'finding' additional money for furnishing the secretary's office.

— kathryn watson, CBS News, "HUD emails show push to find workaround for $5,000 legal limit on Ben Carson's office furnishings," 14 Mar. 2018
Three furnished cabana studio units — with bedroom, bathroom and desk space — are situated on the fourth floor of the Riva.

— lisa j. huriash, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Riva luxury condo in Fort Lauderdale has cabana studios for residents' guests to use," 26 June 2018
Close-in, nice cool furnished room in small private family, $6 a month, every convenience.

— paula allen, San Antonio Express-News, "Small world southeast of downtown San Antonio fell to progress," 16 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of furnish

Middle English furnisshen, from Anglo-French furniss-, stem of furnir, fournir to complete, equip, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German frummen to further, fruma advantage — more at foremost

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

furnish Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of furnish

furnish, equip, outfit, appoint, accoutre mean to supply one with what is needed. furnish implies the provision of any or all essentials for performing a function.