prepare

Universal Words verb 1 [VN] ~ sth/sb (for sb/sth) to make sth or sb ready to be used or to do sth: to prepare a report / the accounts * A hotel room is being prepared for them. * The college prepares students for a career in business. 2 ~ (yourself) (for sth) to make yourself ready to do sth or for sth that you expect to happen: [V] I had no time to prepare. * The whole class is working hard preparing for the exams. * [VN] The police are preparing themselves for trouble at the demonstration. * I had been preparing myself for this moment. * Her condition is not improving as we hoped. You must prepare yourselves for the worst. * [Vtoinf] I was preparing to leave. * [VNtoinf] The troops prepared themselves to go into battle. 3 [VN] to make food ready to be eaten: He was in the kitchen preparing lunch. 4 [VN] ~ sth (from sth) to make a medicine or chemical substance, for example by mixing other substances together: remedies prepared from herbal extracts IDIOMS prepare the ground (for sth) to make it possible or easier for sth to be achieved: The committee will prepare the ground for next month's meeting. * Early experiments with rockets prepared the ground for space travel.