What’s the difference?

Question

What’s the difference between provide with and provide for?

Rover_KE · Accepted Answer

sabrynazulkyflyyy What’s the difference between "provide with" and "provide for"?

In what context? Please write a full sentence.

CalifJim · Answer

sabrynazulkyflyyy What’s the difference between provide with and provide for?

You could say that the full paradigm is

provide someone with something for someone/something.

That is,

provide (a beneficiary) with (the thing provided) for (reason).

Myriad sensors and systems provide modern aircraft with data for flight control.
Cost-cutting will provide New York with $343 million for the heating subsidy plan.
The cows provide the family with milk for their children.

In practice, you rarely see all three parts. There are quite a few variants.

You can omit the for phrase.

Myriad sensors and systems provide modern aircraft with data.
Cost-cutting will provide New York with $343 million.
The cows provide the family with milk.

You can omit the beneficiary and with.

Myriad sensors and systems provide data for flight control.
Cost-cutting will provide $343 million for the heating subsidy plan.
The cows provide milk for their children.

You can omit everything but the for phrase.

Myriad sensors and systems provide for flight control.
Cost-cutting will provide for the heating subsidy plan.
The cows provide for their children.

Not every possibility sounds equally good, but those are the main patterns that are available.

provide with

We will provide readers with a listing of local Christmas tree farms.
They plan to implement projects to provide citizens with basic services.
The wealthiest nation in the world can surely provide everyone with health care.
Several companies can provide Lock Haven residents with dial-up Internet access.
The administration said it had no plans to provide Russia with such information.

provide for

Thomas is trying to provide for his family.
If I get a good job, it will help provide for the future.
Surpluses are needed to provide for inevitable rain failures.

The mayor hosted a forum to provide counseling for homeowners.
We must provide support for these students, not ostracize them further.
The new plan will provide jobs for local electrical workers, and it will provide sales for local suppliers.

CJ

What’s the difference?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions