equal
Americanadjective
-
as great as; the same as (often followed by to orwith ).
The velocity of sound is not equal to that of light.
-
like or alike in quantity, degree, value, etc.; of the same rank, ability, merit, etc..
two students of equal brilliance.
- Synonyms:
- correspondent, coordinate, commensurate, proportionate
- Antonyms:
- different
-
evenly proportioned or balanced.
an equal contest.
-
uniform in operation or effect.
equal laws.
-
adequate or sufficient in quantity or degree.
The supply is equal to the demand.
-
having adequate ability, means, or other characteristics: Their English boots were not equal to the rigors of a Canadian winter.
He was equal to the task.
Their English boots were not equal to the rigors of a Canadian winter.
- Antonyms:
- inadequate
-
tranquil or undisturbed.
to confront death with an equal mind.
-
impartial or equitable.
-
Archaic. having an even surface; level.
the treeless, equal plains.
noun
-
equals
plural
verb (used with object)
-
equals,
present (3rd person singular)
-
equaled,
past participle, past
-
equalled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
equaling,
present participle
-
equalling
present participle (especially British)
-
to be or become equal to; meet or match.
So far the rate of production doesn't equal the demand.
If A equals B and B equals C, then A equals C.
-
to make or do something equal to.
No matter how he tries, he can't equal his brother's achievements.
-
Archaic. to make equal; equalize.
-
Obsolete. to recompense fully.
adjective
-
identical in size, quantity, degree, intensity, etc; the same (as)
-
having identical privileges, rights, status, etc
all men are equal before the law
-
having uniform effect or application
equal opportunities
-
evenly balanced or proportioned
the game was equal between the teams
-
(usually foll by to) having the necessary or adequate strength, ability, means, etc (for)
to be equal to one's work
-
another word for equivalent
noun
verb
-
(tr) to be equal to; correspond to; match
my offer equals his
-
to become equal or level
-
(tr) to make, perform, or do something equal to
to equal the world record
-
archaic (tr) to make equal
Usage
See unique.
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
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonequaladjective
-
quasi-equaladjective
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subequaladjective
-
equallyadverb
-
quasi-equallyadverb
-
subequallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
equalsimple
-
equalssimple
-
have equaledperfect
-
have equalledperfect
-
has equaledperfect
-
has equalledperfect
-
am equalingprogressive
-
am equallingprogressive
-
are equalingprogressive
-
are equallingprogressive
-
is equalingprogressive
-
is equallingprogressive
-
have been equalingperfect progressive
-
have been equallingperfect progressive
-
has been equalingperfect progressive
-
has been equallingperfect progressive
Past
-
equaledsimple
-
equalledsimple
-
had equaledperfect
-
had equalledperfect
-
was equalingprogressive
-
was equallingprogressive
-
were equalingprogressive
-
were equallingprogressive
-
had been equalingperfect progressive
-
had been equallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of equal
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English adjective from Latin aequālis “equal, like,” equivalent to aequ(us) “even, plain, just” + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Things that are the same size or have the same traits are said to be equal. When it comes to people, being equal means everyone has the same rights and opportunities — and responsibilities. When two or more things are level or balanced, they are said to be equal. This balance can refer to volume, weight, or quantity, or any other trait being compared. In a contest in which each side has the same chance of winning, the match is said to be equal. And when a person is considered at the same level with another in some respect, he or she is said to be that person's equal.
Vocabulary lists containing equal
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 1
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Geometry - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In exchange, the National Park Service would receive land of equal value in another part of California that has yet to be determined.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Sure, paying off a 25% or 30% credit-card balance effectively gives you guaranteed savings equal to that interest rate versus the uncertain returns you might earn by leaving the money invested.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
They require individual liberty, property rights, honest dealing, enforceable contracts and equal rules against force and fraud.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
She regularly offered her perceptive and witty insights about life, music, fame and equal rights.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Does a “shorter” or smaller bump equal softer or a lower pitch or both?
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
The pre-IPO perpetual contracts translate directly to Anthropic’s market capitalization via a $1.00 point equals $100 billion valuation index model.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
That equals roughly 7% of Canada’s imports from the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
For one fan, $45 for Dodger Stadium parking plus $40 for early entry equals $85 for a JTB shuttle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
More countries equal more viewers, which equals more money.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Madge watches while I write down nine times four equals thirty-six.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
The latter equaled about 8% of revenue in the most recent quarter.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
For the game, he missed 12 of 19 shots, four of six three-point attempts, had zero offensive rebounds and equaled a team-low with a minus-24 in 33 fewer minutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
Its combined output with Venezuela equaled Saudi output.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
Lillard equaled the best final-round score, set by Karl-Anthony Towns in 2022.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026
The challenge was to find words that equaled one dollar when you added up their letter values.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
There were 112 deaths of care leavers aged 18 to 24 notified in 2025, which the review said equalled about 130 deaths per 100,000 care leavers.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Following her 200m bronze on Thursday, Asher-Smith also equalled Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska's overall record tally of 10 medals at the championships.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
But one recent single bulk order from a Canadian company equalled what he would expect to move in seven days.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Charley Hull equalled the lowest round in Ladies European Tour history and broke the course record at the Centurion Club to move within one stroke of the lead at the PIF London Championship.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
And he hammered at me with a wigor only to be equalled by the wigor with which he didn’t hammer at his anwil.—You’re a listening and understanding, Pip?”
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Canada, for its part, on Monday announced reciprocal tariffs on U.S. goods equaling $20 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
None of his fellow chain crew members come close to equaling Moreno’s years of service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Only 11 men have more major wins than McIlroy, with his tally of six now equaling Faldo, Lee Trevino and Phil Mickelson.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
Capital spending guidance for the five largest cloud companies is approximately $650 billion, equaling the spending by the rest of the Russell 3000 excluding utilities.
From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026
Altogether, his craft was a work of great skill, and Nhamo despaired of equaling it.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Messi began the tournament with a hat-trick in a 3-0 win against Algeria as he became the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history, equalling Miroslav Klose's record of 16, which had stood since 2014.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
France boss Didier Deschamps is one win away from equalling the record for most wins as a manager at the World Cup.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
Bank on those equalling 1% to 3% of your property’s value, or more.
From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026
But he is the top scorer in this year's competition with 13 goals, just four away from equalling the record in a single season.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
She was a big woman, in stature almost equalling her husband, and corpulent besides: she showed virile force in the contest—more than once she almost throttled him, athletic as he was.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
