prepare

verb

pre·​pare pri-ˈper 

prepared; preparing

transitive verb

1

a

: to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activity

prepare food for dinner

farmers preparing the soil for planting

b

: to put in a proper state of mind

is prepared to listen

2

: to work out the details of : plan in advance

preparing a campaign strategy

3

a

: to put together : compound

prepare a prescription

b

: to put into written form

prepare a report

intransitive verb

: to get ready

preparing for a career

preparer noun

Synonyms of prepare

• ready
• provide
• furnish
• fortify
• prep
• equip
• arrange
• fix

Examples of prepare in a Sentence

The teacher prepared the students for the test.

Your room is being prepared now and should be ready soon.

The nurses prepared the patient for surgery.

Farmers are busy preparing the soil for planting.

They'll be arriving soon. We don't have much more time to prepare.

We don't have much more time to prepare ourselves for their arrival.

She tried to prepare herself for bad news.

The sailors are preparing themselves for a long voyage.

The pharmacist prepared the prescription.

Recent Examples on the Web

Zacharia had little time to prepare for the briefing, which can be a challenging joust with the press in which a press secretary needs to advocate on behalf of the administration and improvise quickly when tricky topics arise. — Michael Birnbaum The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026

Moving over to tech, AI giant Anthropic, which is preparing for what could be the largest IPO in history, will release its third-quarter financials for the first time in a meeting with potential investors on Wednesday. — Justina Lee, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

Later in the day, taking the inflatables out and preparing the NautiBuoys for the guests, Kerry is just as present. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026

Fashion Forward is actively preparing its next physical chapters, with upcoming dinners planned for Los Angeles, Milan and Miami during Art Basel. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English preparen, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French preparer, borrowed from Latin praeparāre "to furnish beforehand, put in a state of readiness," from prae- pre- + parāre "to supply, provide, make ready" — more at pare

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for prepare

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

prepare

verb

pre·​pare pri-ˈpa(ə)r 

-ˈpe(ə)r

prepared; preparing

1

: to make ready beforehand

prepared us for the news

prepare for a test

2

: to put together the elements of : compound

prepare a prescription

preparer noun

Medical Definition

prepare

transitive verb

pre·​pare pri-ˈpa(ə)r, -ˈpe(ə)r 

prepared; preparing

1

: to make ready beforehand

prepare a patient for surgery

2

: to put together : compound

prepared a vaccine from live virus

prepared the doctor's prescription