preparedness

noun pre·pared·ness \ pri-ˈper-əd-nəs also -ˈperd-nəs \

Updated on: 9 May 2018

Definition of preparedness

: the quality or state of being prepared; especially : a state of adequate preparation in case of war

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Examples of preparedness in a Sentence

The military is in a state of preparedness.

Recent Examples of preparedness from the Web

The Rotary Club of San Marcos is partnering with the American Red Cross for the Sound The Alarm and Save Lives campaign, providing fire safety preparedness education and smoke alarm installations in mobile home parks.

— linda mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Elks Lodge supports Assistance League ... community news," 26 Apr. 2018
Graham mobilized evangelicals to vote, and linked the evangelical cause with anticommunism, military preparedness, and Christian nationalism, just as Falwell and Robertson did.

— daniel k. williams, Newsweek, "Did Billy Graham Bring About the Evangelical Christian Right?," 23 Feb. 2018
Of course, the onus to improve students’ career preparedness shouldn’t only be on professors—career centers themselves ought to focus on enhancing their in-house services.

— lolade fadulu, The Atlantic, "Why Aren't College Students Using Career Services?," 20 Jan. 2018
But these operations produce a vast amount of scientific data while helping maintain preparedness.

— david hambling, Popular Mechanics, "How the Navy Punches a Nuclear Sub Through Arctic Ice," 5 Apr. 2018
Parameter Security's Chronister says that these struggles are obvious from the outside and that the length of the current outages clearly indicate lack of preparedness of some sort.

— lily hay newman, WIRED, "The Ransomware That Hobbled Atlanta Will Strike Again," 30 Mar. 2018
The additional buzzer systems will cost about $250,000, according to Tom McNeal, the school system’s director of security, emergency preparedness and response.

— kate magill, Columbia Flier, "Howard County looks to add door locks, 4 officers to bolster school security," 27 Mar. 2018
Comparing that grid to Florida's, which is the gold standard for preparedness, is somewhat unfair, said Seth Guikema, an associate professor of engineering at the University of Michigan, who studies grids and disaster response.

— sam petulla, CNN, "'We are the forgotten people': It's been almost six months since Hurricane Maria, and Puerto Ricans are still dying," 15 Mar. 2018
The annual ball raises funds for Red Cross disaster preparedness, response and recovery programs, and services, continuing its tradition and commitment to the Greater Miami & The Keys Chapter.

— suzette fernandez, Billboard, "Chayanne's Humanitarian Efforts to be Recognized at the Annual Red Cross Ball in Miami," 22 Mar. 2018

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