provision

noun pro·vi·sion \ prə-ˈvi-zhən \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of provision

1 a : the act or process of providing

b : the fact or state of being prepared beforehand

c : a measure taken beforehand to deal with a need or contingency : preparation

made provision for replacements

2 : a stock of needed materials or supplies; especially : a stock of food —usually used in plural

3 : proviso, stipulation

See provision defined for English-language learners

See provision defined for kids

Examples of provision in a Sentence

The President, of all people, should know how difficult it is to take care of basic things like, say, prescription drugs for the elderly or shelter from the storm—especially if your government places a low priority on the efficient provision of public services and a high priority on the care and feeding of cronies … —Joe Klein, Time, 6 Feb. 2006
Nothing was overlooked. There was a fallback position, a fail-safe provision, for any contingency. —Gary Wills, New York Times Book Review, 1 Apr. 2001
They wheedled the American Congress into awarding entry terms more favorable than those enjoyed by any other state, including two unique provisions: Texas and not the federal government would own all public lands, and the state would retain forever the right to divide into five smaller states if that proved attractive, each one to have two senators and a proportionate number of representatives. —James A. Michener, Texas, 1985
Provisions should be made for regular inspections.
He made provisions to donate part of his fortune to charity after he died.
You should make provision for emergencies.
I carried my provisions in one large backpack.
We brought enough provisions to last the entire trip.

Recent Examples of provision from the Web

But Council rejected provisions proposed by Budish that would have allowed perks to lure and retain top administrators such as additional vacation, retention pay and performance pay.

— karen farkas, cleveland.com, "Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish to give State of the County address: Watch live," 11 Apr. 2018
Some lawmakers criticized that provision, because the bill doesn’t allocate extra money for mental health services.

— Washington Post, "Maryland legislative session ends on bipartisan note," 10 Apr. 2018
The district solicitor, Kenneth Roos, said there were some provisions about honoring other members of Schwarzman’s family but offered no other specifics.

— kathy boccella, Philly.com, "Apologies and anger at Abington school board meeting," 10 Apr. 2018
That provision recognizes the historical relationship between the two organizations, according to Robert Zeh, the museum's marketing manager.

— mike rogoway, OregonLive.com, "Evergreen Aviation museum sues adjacent waterpark," 10 Apr. 2018
That provision is intended to address findings by The Republic that the program unfairly benefits wealthier families receiving a taxpayer subsidy to pay for private school.

— rob o'dell, azcentral, "Will Arizona Republicans 'repeal and replace' voucher expansion to thwart referendum?," 10 Apr. 2018
Separately, in September 2017, Trump signed an executive order effectively ending his administration's temporary ban on all refugees, but with new provisions that delayed processing certain refugees from 11 countries for 90 days.

— NBC News, "Trump suggests refugees want to harm the U.S. But they just want to make America great, a new report says," 9 Apr. 2018
To these vintners, Measure C’s provisions are modest: New vineyards must be kept at least 25 feet away from streams, and only 795 acres of oak trees in land zoned as agricultural watershed may be removed in order to plant vineyards.

— esther mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, "Battle for Napa Valley’s future: Proposed curb on vineyards divides county," 9 Apr. 2018
SpaceX’s main businesses are lifting large, expensive satellites into orbit and carrying provisions to the International Space Station.

— The Economist, "Is New Zealand the world’s best rocket-launching site?," 5 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of provision

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin provision-, provisio act of providing, from Latin, foresight, from providēre to see ahead — more at provide

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

provision Synonyms

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

provision

verb pro·vi·sion \ prə-ˈvi-zhən \

Definition of provision

provisioned; provisioning play \prə-ˈvi-zhə-niŋ, -ˈvizh-niŋ\

transitive verb

: to supply with needed materials (such as food) : to supply with provisions

See provision defined for English-language learners

Examples of provision in a Sentence

Few modern eaters consume such a wide range of plants, fruits, and animals, even when provisioned by a vast international or multi-ethnic marketplace. —Donna R. Gabaccia, We Are What We Eat, 1998
But biographies, like translations, are rarely provisioned to last forever, for they reflect the world of their authors as much as their subjects. —Morris Dickstein, New York Times Book Review, 1 Feb. 1998
As the cubs began to feed more regularly on meat, she provisioned them with hares, hyraxes, an Egyptian mongoose, and guinea fowl. —John A. Cavallo, Natural History, February 1990
They stopped to provision the ship.
the climbers were sufficiently provisioned to withstand just about any mountaineering emergency