I. e ‧ quiv ‧ a ‧ lent 1 W3 AC /ɪˈkwɪv ə lənt/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ equivalence , ↑ equivalent ; adjective : ↑ equivalent ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: Late Latin , from aequivalere 'to have equal power' ]
having the same value, purpose, job etc as a person or thing of a different kind
equivalent to
a qualification which is equivalent to a degree
I had no dollars, but offered him an equivalent amount of sterling.
—equivalence noun [uncountable]
II. equivalent 2 AC BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ equivalence , ↑ equivalent ; adjective : ↑ equivalent ]
something that has the same value, purpose, job etc as something else:
The word has no equivalent in English.
equivalent of
He had drunk the equivalent of 15 whiskies.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a direct/exact equivalent
The word has no direct equivalent in English.
▪ the nearest/closest equivalent
The corner store was the closest equivalent we had to a supermarket when I was young.
▪ the modern/modern-day equivalent (of something)
Horror films are the modern-day equivalent of morality tales.
▪ an English/American/French etc equivalent
Savings and loan associations are the American equivalent of Britain’s building societies.
■ verbs
▪ have an equivalent
This institution has no equivalent in any other European country.