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Glite Dictionary
to prepare for

to prepare for

487 2.8
To make yourself ready in your mind for something unpleasant or difficult
  • phrasal verb
  • /prɪˈpɛr fɔr/
translation icon : prepararse para
  • Not having had time to adequately prepare for class added to his grumpiness.
  • well prepared for
  • feel prepared for
  • help someone prepare for

But we must prepare for this to be a long war.

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Examples

  • You must prepare for the challenges that lie ahead during the project.

  • How can you plan and prepare for something that you can't see?

    Johnny Harris

  • What should I be doing to prepare for that effect on me?

  • But we must prepare for this to be a long war.

    10 Downing Street

  • How exactly do we prepare for this uncertain future?

  • Washington should help Iraqis prepare for local elections, then direct attention toward national elections in 2014.

    Academic text (2011)

  • For these participants, it was imperative that each partner be prepared for differences in grieving styles.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Having taken a plane, Nora was already in Tucson to help prepare for the wedding.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • I'm preparing for war.

    Jack Be Nimble (2022)

  • In order to succeed, you need to prepare for the difficulties of the upcoming exam.

Synonyms

to anticipate
vsto prepare for
293 3.7

To prepare for something before it happens

is about internal emotional readiness rather than acting in advance
to prep
vsto prepare for
  • Informal
95 3.6

To get something or yourself ready

is specifically about mental and emotional readiness, not general or informal readiness
to brace oneself for
vsto prepare for
40 6.5

Get ready for something bad or difficult that you expect to happen

is used for mental readiness generally, not only for expected events
to steel oneself
vsto prepare for
7 7.6

To prepare yourself to face something unpleasant or difficult

is about becoming mentally or emotionally ready generally, not only to cope
to psyche
vsto prepare for
  • Informal
4 6.8

To get ready mentally for a difficult task

focuses on personal emotional readiness rather than purposely increasing confidence
to psych up
vsto prepare for
  • Informal
4 7.4

To get yourself ready by feeling excited or confident

is more about calm emotional readiness rather than excitement or hype
to steel oneself for
vsto prepare for
3 7.5

To prepare yourself mentally for something difficult or unpleasant

is the neutral general way to describe this mental readiness
to steel oneself against
vsto prepare for
1 7.4

Get ready in your mind to face something unpleasant

is the general mental readiness for unpleasant events, not other ways to get ready

Antonyms

unprepared
69 2.8

Not ready for something because the things you need or a plan are missing

How Ready

to prepare for
487 2.8
to think it through
  • Informal
105 3.2
to consider
∞ 1.1

Surface Forms

prepare for infinitive
prepared for past
prepared for past participle
preparing for present participle
prepares for third person singular

Morphology

prepare + for

The meaning 'to make oneself ready mentally or emotionally for something' is directly derivable from 'prepare' (to make ready) plus the preposition 'for' indicating the target or purpose. This is a basic verb + preposition construction that is cross-linguistically common and therefore readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

The phrase prepare for comes from the picture of getting ready before an event: you prepare by packing or planning, and for shows what you are getting ready to face. So prepare for means 'to make yourself ready', often in your mind or feelings, for something difficult or unpleasant.