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Glite Dictionary
to provide for

to provide for

155 3.7
Make plans to meet someone's needs in the future
  • phrasal verb
  • /prəˈvaɪd fɔr/
translation icon : proveer
  • Parents work hard to provide for their children's education and well-being.
  • provide for needs
  • provide for children
  • provide for families

And I got to go provide for my wife and so.

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Examples

  • I love you; I'll always provide for you, and I'll always be there for you.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I provide for my kids and that makes me a good mum.

    By Deception (2022)

  • What does this mean for my ability to provide for my children, my future?

  • But when I tell you he wants to provide for you, it goes beyond dollars.

  • A good city should provide for some human needs that we have.

  • Like, just get out there and and do your job, you know, provide for your family.

  • And I believe that is the greatest gift that we can provide for each other.

    Dr. Mayim Bialik

  • And while I am at it, I will also provide for all your needs.

    Milarepa (2025)

  • So as a father, I'm called to provide for my family and, and my, my, my kids.

  • And this society simply fails to provide for those needs of children or for adults.

    André Duqum

Synonyms

to prepare
vsto provide for
∞ 1.0

Make something ready for use or an event

arranges in advance to ensure needs are met rather than just making ready
to supply
vsto provide for
400 1.6

To give things that someone needs or wants

plans and arranges in advance to ensure needs are met not just deliver goods
to allow for
vsto provide for
158 3.1

Consider or include something when planning

takes active steps to secure needs rather than only considering possibilities

Antonyms

to ignore
∞ 1.0

Choose not to pay attention to someone or something

to disregard
119 3.9

Ignore something or someone on purpose

How Prepared

to guarantee
∞ 2.8
to ensure
910 2.8
to provide for
155 3.7
to plan
∞ 1.0
to neglect
256 3.8

Surface Forms

provide for infinitive
provided for past
provided for past participle
providing for present participle
provides for third person singular

Morphology

provide + for

The sense 'to make arrangements or take steps to ensure needs are met' follows directly from combining 'provide' (to supply/support) with the preposition 'for' (with respect to purpose or beneficiary). This verb + preposition composition is a regular, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Provide for comes from the picture of someone saving food, money, or clothes and setting them aside for their family. Because provide means to give or prepare and for shows who it is meant for, the phrase came to mean 'to take care of' or 'to make sure someone's needs are met'.