provision
/prəˈvɪʒ.ən/
noun
-
the act of giving or supplying something that people need, such as a service or money
B2uncountableformal
- "The provision of clean water is essential."B1
- "The provision of childcare makes it easier for parents to return to work."B2
- "Years of underfunding have left the provision of mental health care badly stretched."C1
-
a supply of something that people need, especially food, drink or equipment for a journey; in the plural, provisions means the supplies themselves
B2countable, usually plural
- "We bought provisions for the journey."A2
- "The ship carried enough provisions for three months at sea."B1
- "Adequate provisions must be laid in before the winter sets in."C1
-
a condition or clause in a law, contract or agreement
C1countablelegal
- "The contract includes a provision for early repayment."B2
- "A new provision in the law protects tenants from unfair eviction."C1
- "The act contains a sunset provision, so the powers lapse in 2030."C2
verb
-
to supply someone or something with equipment or supplies, especially for a particular purpose
C1transitive, often passive; provision somebody/something with somethingformal
- "The organization provisioned the camp with food and medical supplies."B2
- "The expedition was provisioned entirely by the university."C1
- "Each outpost must be provisioned before the snow closes the pass."C2
Common mistakes
- The provision of health services are improving.→The provision of health services is improving.
When "provision" is uncountable and means "the act of providing", the verb agrees with "provision", not with the following plural noun.
- We must make a provision of the future.→We must make provision for the future.
The fixed expression is "make provision for something" — usually uncountable and followed by "for".