provision

noun pro·vi·sion \ prə-ˈvi-zhən \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Examples: provision in a Sentence

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

The waiting provision -- one of the longest in the country -- also is on hold because of a different lawsuit.

— CBS News, "Iowa judge agrees to halt fetal heartbeat abortion law," 1 June 2018
The waiting provision — one of the longest in the country — also is on hold because of a different lawsuit.

— david pitt, chicagotribune.com, "Judge agrees to halt fetal heartbeat abortion law in Iowa," 1 June 2018
To transfer $20 to an inmate account to purchase food from the commissary and other provisions, for example, the family pays $4.95.

— mary ellen klas, miamiherald, "Cash-strapped Florida prison agency wants private vendor to profit from inmate visits," 31 May 2018
The department said the revisions would not apply to broad complaints filed by groups, but the lawsuit said the provisions, as written, gave no such assurances.

— New York Times, "Disability and Civil Rights Groups Sue DeVos Over Investigation Rollbacks," 31 May 2018
The provision, which went into effect this year, aimed to give investors, employees and the public a better look at how executive pay stacks up and focus attention on issues of fairness.

— collin eaton, San Antonio Express-News, "CEO pay towers over median salary of workers," 29 May 2018
Given how much money the corporate tax cut is providing companies, and how much money is being repatriated from overseas as a result of the tax law’s provisions, this is something of a surprise.

— justin lahart, WSJ, "Why Aren’t Companies Spending More?," 27 May 2018
Ervin, naturally, isn't satisfied with those provisions, nor with official arguments that reprinting ballots in time for the election just isn't feasible.

— celeste katz, Glamour, "Valerie Ervin Is Running to Be Maryland's First Black Woman Governor—but That's Not the Only Hurdle," 25 May 2018
Starting with policies to mandate the provision of menstrual products – in the correctional setting, in schools, among all in need.

— refinery29.com, "Meghan Markle Has Championed Menstrual Equity — Here's Why You Should Too," 21 May 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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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

Recent Examples of provision from the Web

In a joint effort with Major League Baseball, Spillane had come to testify about the prospect of legalized sports betting and what provisions the professional leagues believed should be included in potential laws.

— adam kilgore, chicagotribune.com, "With states free to legalize sports betting, do the pro leagues deserve a cut?," 17 May 2018
Back seat space is also beautifully provisioned and almost too nice to soil with family duty.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD: North American SUV of the Year," 23 Feb. 2018
For what country was better provisioned than France?

— The Economist, "The maker of chefsPaul Bocuse died on January 20th," 25 Jan. 2018
In October, its plan to require banks to fully provision for unsecured new loans deemed nonperforming faced a backlash by European lawmakers, who said legislators—not technocrats—should make the rules.

— max colchester, WSJ, "Europe Seeks Crackdown on Brexit Bank Arbitrage," 20 Dec. 2017
Those who stayed quickly ate all the papayas and coconut palms, forcing researchers to provision them with food.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Rescuing Puerto Rico's Monkey Island," 26 Sep. 2017
Under-provisioned banks are also unwilling to lend more, which means investment by private companies may shrink this year.

— dhwani pandya, Bloomberg.com, "'No Need to Panic,' Says India's Jaitley as Firms Defer Spending," 24 Sep. 2017
The company also had to provision 818 million reais due a dispute involving an offshore drilling vessel.

— paul kiernan, WSJ, "Petrobras Net Profit Falls 68%," 10 Aug. 2017
Some slave owners used the peach harvest as a kind of festival for their chattel, and runaways provisioned their secret journeys in untended orchards.

— william thomas okie, Smithsonian, "The Fuzzy History of the Georgia Peach," 14 Aug. 2017