I. e ‧ qual 1 S1 W2 /ˈiːkwəl/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ equality ≠ ↑ inequality , ↑ equal , ↑ equalizer ; verb : ↑ equalize , ↑ equal ; adverb : ↑ equally ≠ ↑ unequally ; adjective : ↑ equal ≠ ↑ unequal ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: aequalis , from aequus 'level, equal' ]
1 . SAME the same in size, number, amount, value etc as something else ⇨ equivalent
equal number/amount (of something)
Both candidates received an equal number of votes.
(of) equal value/importance
They believe that all work is of equal value.
equal in size/length/height etc
The two towns are roughly equal in size.
of equal size/length/height etc
equal to
The rent was equal to half his monthly income.
2 . SAME RIGHTS/CHANCES having the same rights, opportunities etc as everyone else, whatever your race, religion, or sex:
Our constitution states that all men are equal.
Our education system should provide equal opportunities for all children.
The government is committed to achieving equal rights for women.
3 . be equal to something
a) to have the ability to deal with a problem, piece of work etc successfully SYN be up to :
I’m not sure he’s equal to the task.
Are you equal to this challenge?
b) to be as good as something else:
The architecture here is equal to any in the world.
4 . on equal terms/on an equal footing with neither side having any advantage over the other:
This law will help small businesses to compete on equal terms with large multinational corporations.
5 . all (other) things being equal spoken if things are as you normally expect them to be:
All things being equal, a small car will cost less than a larger one.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ adverbs
▪ exactly equal
The food is shared out in exactly equal portions among all members of the community.
▪ roughly/approximately equal
The number of buyers and sellers must be roughly equal before trading begins.
▪ about/almost equal
They are about equal in height and weight.
■ nouns
▪ an equal number/amount
Both candidates received an equal number of votes.
■ phrases
▪ be of equal size/length/height etc
Draw two lines of equal length.
▪ be equal in size/length/height etc
The population of each town is roughly equal in size.
▪ be equal in value
Your pension will be equal in value to two thirds of your final year salary.
▪ be equal in number/numbers
In higher education, women are equal in numbers to men.
▪ of equal value/importance
He is remembered for his novels, but his scientific work is of equal importance.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ nouns
▪ equal rights
In many countries, women do not have equal rights with men.
▪ equal opportunities
The government must make sure that all children have equal opportunities in education.
▪ equal pay
The workers’ demands include equal pay for equal work.
▪ equal access (=the same right to do or receive something)
The law states that disabled people must have equal access to employment.
▪ equal treatment
Everyone should get equal treatment under the law.
■ phrases
▪ be born equal
It is a myth that all men are born equal.
▪ be created equal
They believe that everyone is created equal by God.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ the same used to say that two people, things, events etc are exactly like each other:
The houses on the street all look the same.
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They were doing the same jobs as the men, but being paid less.
▪ just like/exactly like especially spoken used to say that there is very little difference between two people, things etc:
He’s just like his father.
|
There are insects that look exactly like green leaves.
▪ identical identical things are exactly the same in every way:
The tablets were identical in size, shape, and colour.
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identical names
▪ indistinguishable two things that are indistinguishable are so similar that it is impossible to know which is which or to see any differences between them:
The copy was indistinguishable from the original painting.
▪ equal two or more amounts, totals, levels etc that are equal are the same as each other:
Spend an equal amount of time on each essay question.
▪ be no different from somebody/something to be the same, even though you expect them to be different:
People often think that movie stars are special, but really they’re no different from anybody else.
▪ can’t tell the difference ( also can’t tell somebody/something apart ) especially spoken if you can’t tell the difference between two people or things, or if you can’t tell them apart, they look, sound, or seem exactly the same to you:
Emma and Louise sound so alike on the phone that I can’t tell the difference.
II. equal 2 S2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle equalled , present participle equalling British English , equaled , equaling American English )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ equality ≠ ↑ inequality , ↑ equal , ↑ equalizer ; verb : ↑ equalize , ↑ equal ; adverb : ↑ equally ≠ ↑ unequally ; adjective : ↑ equal ≠ ↑ unequal ]
1 . [linking verb] to be exactly the same in size, number, or amount as something else:
Two plus two equals four.
Prices become more stable when supply equals demand.
2 . [transitive] to be as good as something else, or get to the same standard as someone or something else:
Thompson equalled the world record.
3 . be equalled (only) by something used to say that two things are as strong or as important as each other:
Her distaste for books was equalled only by her dislike of people.
4 . [transitive] to produce a particular result or effect:
A highly-trained workforce equals high productivity.
III. equal 3 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ equality ≠ ↑ inequality , ↑ equal , ↑ equalizer ; verb : ↑ equalize , ↑ equal ; adverb : ↑ equally ≠ ↑ unequally ; adjective : ↑ equal ≠ ↑ unequal ]
1 . someone who is as important, intelligent etc as you are, or who has the same rights and opportunities as you do:
He treats all his staff as equals.
a friendship between equals
equal in
She wasn’t his equal in intelligence.
2 . be the equal of somebody/something to be as good as someone or something else:
The company proved to be the equal of its US rivals.
3 . be without equal ( also have no equal ) formal to be better than everyone or everything else of the same type:
His paintings are without equal.