equal
adjective · verb · noun
Simple meaning
Having the same quantity, value, or measure as another.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
eekwuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈikwəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Having the same quantity, value, or measure as another
The same in value (status, merit, etc): having or deserving the same rights or treatment.
not comparable
The same in one or more respects.
The same in all respects that matter practically; interchangeable, fungible, or (even sometimes) identical for practical purposes.
mathematicsnot comparable
Exactly identical, having the same value.
verb
transitive
To match in degree or some other quality, to match up to.
Be identical or equivalent to
“One dollar equals 1,000 rubles these days!”
transitive
To make equivalent to; to cause to match.
Make equal, uniform, corresponding, or matching
“Let's equalize the duties among all employees in this office.”
noun
A person who is of equal standing with another in a group
A person or thing of equal status to others.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Having the same quantity, value, or measure as another
Used this way, equal is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Makeverb
“Let's equalize the duties among all employees in this office.”
Identicalverb
“One dollar equals 1,000 rubles these days!”
More ways to use equal
- “One dollar equals 1,000 rubles these days!”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Other combinations
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
The quality of being the same in quantity or measure or value or status.
To the same degree (often followed by `as').
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A map projection in which quadrilaterals formed by meridians and parallels have an area on the map proportional to their area on the globe.
A map projection in which quadrilaterals formed by meridians and parallels have an area on the map proportional to their area on the globe.
The right to equivalent opportunities for employment regardless of race or color or sex or national origin.
A right guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution and by the due-process clause of the Fifth Amendment.
A sign indicating that the quantities on either side are equal.
The division of the scale based on an octave that is divided into twelve exactly equal semitones.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
The act of making equal or uniform.
The right to equal protection of the laws.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- equalitynoun
- zeronoun
- sumnoun
- probabilitynoun
- valuenoun
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Antonyms
Sense: having the same quantity or value
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.