equal
[ ee-kwuhl ]
/ ˈi kwəl /
adjective
noun
a person or thing that is equal.
verb (used with object), e·qualed, e·qual·ing or (especially British) e·qualled, e·qual·ling.
Origin of equal
1350–1400; Middle English (adj.) < Latin
aequālis equal, like, equivalent to
aequ(us) even, plain, just +
-ālis
-al1
SYNONYMS FOR equal
2
proportionate,
commensurate,
coordinate,
correspondent.
Equal,
equivalent,
tantamount imply a correspondence between two or more things.
Equal indicates a correspondence in all respects or in a particular respect:
A dime is equal to 10 cents (that is, in purchasing power).
Equivalent indicates a correspondence in one or more respects, but not in all:
An egg is said to be the equivalent of a pound of meat in nutritive value.
Tantamount, a word of limited application, is used of immaterial things that are equivalent:
The prisoner's refusal to answer was tantamount to an admission of guilt.
4 even, uniform, regular, unvarying, invariant.
6 suited, fitted.
10 peer, compeer, match, mate, fellow.
usage note for equal
1–9. See
unique.
OTHER WORDS FROM equal
Words nearby equal
Example sentences from the Web for equal
British Dictionary definitions for equal
equal
/ (ˈiːkwəl) /
adjective
noun
a person or thing equal to another, esp in merit, ability, etc
he has no equal when it comes to boxing
verb equals, equalling or equalled or US equals, equaling or equaled
Derived forms of equal
equally, adverbWord Origin for equal
C14: from Latin
aequālis, from
aequus level, of obscure origin
usage for equal
The use of
more equal as in
from now on their relationship will be a more equal one is acceptable in modern English usage.
Equally is preferred to
equally as in sentences such as
reassuring the victims is equally important. Just as is preferred to
equally as in sentences such as
their surprise was just as great as his
Idioms and Phrases with equal
equal