INDEX:
1. to prepare for something that will happen in the future
2. to prepare something so that it is ready to be used
3. to prepare yourself for something that you have to do
4. to prepare someone for something that they will have to do
5. to provide the necessary conditions for something to happen
6. when you prepare something
RELATED WORDS
ready, prepared : ↑ READY/NOT READY
prepare food : ↑ COOK
see also
↑ ARRANGE
↑ ORGANIZE
↑ PRACTISE/PRACTICE
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1. to prepare for something that will happen in the future
▷ prepare /prɪˈpeəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to make plans or arrangements for something that will happen in the future, so that you will be ready when it happens :
▪ I’ve been so busy that I’ve had no time to prepare.
prepare for
▪ He only had a few hours to prepare for the interview.
▪ People on the island are preparing for another storm.
prepare to do something
▪ The company is preparing to expand its European network.
preparatory /prɪˈpærət ə riǁ-tɔːri/ [adjective only before noun]
done to prepare for something: :
▪ a series of preparatory meetings
▷ get ready /get ˈredi/ [verb phrase]
to do all the things you need to do to prepare for a special occasion or event :
▪ We’re looking forward to the trip, but there’s so much to do to get ready.
get ready for
▪ We’ve spent the last few days getting ready for Christmas.
get ready to do something
▪ It seems the whole country is getting ready to welcome the visiting president.
▷ make preparations /meɪk ˌprepəˈreɪʃ ə nz/ [verb phrase]
to do all the things you must do in order to prepare for an important event :
▪ We set a date of January 8 and began to make preparations.
make preparations for
▪ We started to make preparations for the wedding about a year ago.
make your preparations
▪ I made my preparations with great care.
▷ in preparation for /ɪn ˌprepəˈreɪʃ ə n fɔːʳ/ [preposition]
if you do something in preparation for a planned event, you do something to make it possible or more likely to be successful :
▪ Japan National Railways was split up in preparation for sale to private investors.
▪ In preparation for Passover, all ‘unclean’ items are removed from the house.
▷ gear up /ˌgɪər ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a company or organization gears up to do something important or difficult, they prepare to do it by making changes, buying things that will be needed etc :
gear up to do something
▪ Retailers are already gearing up to meet the Christmas rush.
gear up for
▪ The company will shortly be gearing up for a major expansion.
▷ do the groundwork also do the spadework British /ˌduː ðə ˈgraʊndwɜːʳk, ˌduː ðə ˈspeɪdwɜːʳk/ [verb phrase]
to do the work that has to be done before something else can happen :
▪ All the necessary groundwork for the advertising campaign has already been done.
▪ Although I did most of the spadework, I wasn’t given any credit for it.
▷ mobilize also mobilise British /ˈməʊbɪlaɪz, ˈməʊbəlaɪz/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
if a country or its army mobilizes, it prepares to fight a war :
▪ Britain mobilized its forces.
▪ While the US mobilizes, top-level diplomats are making a last attempt to reach a negotiated settlement.
2. to prepare something so that it is ready to be used
▷ prepare /prɪˈpeəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to prepare something such as a place, a machine, or piece of equipment for an event or activity that has been planned :
▪ Before you start painting, prepare the walls by cleaning them and filling any cracks.
▪ When they are not in the classroom, teachers spend much of their time preparing lessons.
prepare something for something
▪ The Americans are preparing two new satellites for launch.
▪ Maintenance staff are busy preparing the field for tomorrow’s big game.
▷ get something ready /ˌget something ˈredi/ [verb phrase]
to make sure something is ready to be used :
▪ I’ll get the car ready.
get sth ready for
▪ Try to get all your things ready for school the night before.
▪ Her main job is to do general cleaning and get the rooms ready for guests.
▷ set up /ˌset ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to prepare the equipment that is needed for an activity, by putting them in the right places, putting different pieces together etc :
set up something
▪ We’ve set up a microphone in the corner.
▪ It was 6:30 and traders were already setting up their market stalls.
set something up
▪ It’ll take a few minutes to set the camera up.
3. to prepare yourself for something that you have to do
▷ prepare yourself /prɪˈpeəʳ jɔːʳself/ [verb phrase]
to make yourself mentally and physically ready for something that you will have to do :
▪ Before starting to write an answer in an exam, prepare yourself by thinking about what you want to say.
prepare yourself for
▪ They prepared themselves for a long wait.
▪ She has spent the last year preparing herself for the race.
▷ be prepared /biː prɪˈpeəʳd/ [verb phrase]
if you are prepared for something unpleasant or difficult, you expect it and you have thought about it, so that you can deal with it more easily :
▪ The children were seasick last time, so this time we’re prepared .
be prepared for
▪ I just wasn’t prepared for such a difficult interview.
be well prepared
▪ Clark’s lawyers were well prepared and confident.
▷ get ready /get ˈredi/ [verb phrase]
to do all the things you need to do in order to be ready to do something, especially things such as washing or dressing before you go somewhere :
▪ You’d better go get ready - it’s almost 8 o'clock.
get ready to do something
▪ I was just getting ready to go out when Tim called.
get yourself ready for something
▪ In the stadium, the sprinters are getting themselves ready for the 100-metre race.
▷ brace yourself /ˈbreɪs jɔːʳself/ [verb phrase]
to prepare yourself for something unpleasant that is about to happen :
▪ Here comes the boss, and she’s not looking happy! You’d better brace yourself!
brace yourself for
▪ Socialist party leaders are bracing themselves for defeat.
brace yourself to do something
▪ I didn’t really want to hear the rest, but I braced myself to listen.
▷ steel yourself /ˈstiːl jɔːʳself/ [verb phrase]
to prepare yourself to do something that you know will be upsetting, frightening, or unpleasant :
▪ I had to steel myself before I could tell her about the accident.
steel yourself to do something
▪ She steeled herself to look at the body again.
steel yourself for
▪ Jim steeled himself for a fight.
▷ psych yourself up /ˌsaɪk jɔːʳself ˈʌp/ [verb phrase] informal
to prepare yourself mentally for something difficult by making yourself believe that you can do it and that you really want to do it :
▪ I tried to psych myself up before the interview.
psych yourself up for
▪ A lot of athletes use music to psych themselves up for a game.
▷ work up to /ˌwɜːʳk ˈʌp tuː/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to prepare yourself to do something that you do not want to do, by gradually making yourself more and more determined to do it :
▪ I haven’t asked him yet, but I’m working up to it.
work up to doing something
▪ She’s been working up to telling her boyfriend it’s over.
▷ gear yourself up /ˌgɪəʳ jɔːʳself ˈʌp/ [verb phrase] especially British
to prepare yourself mentally for something such as a test or important game, by gradually making yourself believe that you can do it successfully :
▪ The game’s on Friday, so we’re starting to gear ourselves up during training.
gear yourself up for
▪ He’s been gearing himself up for his exams over the past few weeks.
4. to prepare someone for something that they will have to do
▷ prepare /prɪˈpeəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to prepare someone for something that they will have to do, by providing them with the skills, training, or experience that they will need :
▪ The programs are aimed at preparing people who want to start up their own business.
prepare somebody for something
▪ Schools should do more to prepare children for the world of work.
▪ Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw during the war.
▷ train /treɪn/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to prepare someone for a job, activity, or sporting event by teaching them the skills they need and encouraging them to practise :
▪ The team is currently training in Hampshire.
train somebody to do something
▪ The staff must be trained to use the software correctly.
train somebody for something
▪ The troops had been trained for an important role in the battle.
train for
▪ She’s been training for the marathon for six months.
▷ groom /gruːm, grʊm/ [transitive verb]
to carefully prepare someone for an important job or for a particular position in society by training them over a long period of time :
groom somebody as something
▪ Jiang was groomed as Deng’s replacement
groom somebody to be something
▪ Mrs Adams had groomed her only daughter to be a perfect wife and mother.
groom somebody for something
▪ Most people believe he is being groomed for the party leadership.
▷ equip /ɪˈkwɪp/ [transitive verb]
to give someone the skills they need to deal with problems or difficult situations, especially by training them :
equip somebody to do something
▪ A good education will equip your children to get a good job.
equip somebody with something
▪ We do our best to equip refugees with the skills they need for survival in a foreign culture.
5. to provide the necessary conditions for something to happen
▷ set the scene /ˌset ðə ˈsiːn/ [verb phrase]
if an action or event sets the scene for another event, it provides the conditions in which that event can take place :
set the scene for
▪ The negotiations in Geneva have set the scene for a possible agreement later in the year.
▪ Recent events have set the scene for a potentially violent confrontation between the demonstrators and the army.
▷ pave the way /ˌpeɪv ðə ˈweɪ/ [verb phrase]
to provide the conditions that will make something much easier to achieve in the future :
pave the way for
▪ These experiments may pave the way for a vaccine against some forms of cancer.
▪ The Married Women’s Property Act paved the way for further legislation on women’s rights.
▷ lay the foundations /ˌleɪ ðə faʊnˈdeɪʃ ə nz/ [verb phrase]
to provide the conditions that will make it possible for something successful to take place much later :
lay the foundations for
▪ Long-term planning after the war laid the foundations for the nation’s steady economic growth.
lay the foundations of
▪ The two sides met in an attempt to lay the foundations of a future peace settlement.
6. when you prepare something
▷ preparation /ˌprepəˈreɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
the time and work that is needed to prepare for something :
▪ Months of preparation have gone into organizing the festival.
▪ This dessert needs very little preparation, and you can serve it right away.
preparation for
▪ This is all part of the preparation for next month’s vital election.
preparation of
▪ Correct preparation of the canvas for painting is extremely important.
▷ preparations /ˌprepəˈreɪʃ ə nz/ [plural noun]
all the things you have to do so that you will be ready for an important event :
▪ Despite their preparations, hospital officials worry that they could not cope with a major epidemic.
preparations for
▪ She’s busy with the final preparations for the wedding.
▪ Preparations for the conference are well under way.