pro ‧ vid ‧ er /prəˈvaɪdə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ provider , ↑ provision , provisions; verb : ↑ provide , ↑ provision ; adverb : ↑ provisionally ; adjective : ↑ provisional ]
1 . a company or person that provides a service:
an Internet service provider
2 . someone who supports a family:
A widow, she is the sole provider (=the only one) for her family.