provides

Provides is the third-person singular present tense of the verb provide. Provide means to supply, furnish, or make available something that is needed or desired, or to arrange or establish something. The sense ranges from giving material goods to arranging services, opportunities, or conditions. The word derives from Old French fournir and from Latin providere, literally “to foresee” or “to provide” (pro- “before” + videre “to see”).

Usage is typically transitive, requiring a direct object: for example, “The program provides meals,” or “The charity provides housing.” The object can be tangible, such as goods or services, or more abstract, such as access, information, or opportunities. In addition, the phrase “provides for” expresses support or sustenance of someone’s needs, as in “They provide for their elderly parents.” The construction “provide someone with something” is common and emphasizes furnishing a specific item: “The system provides users with data.” In formal or legal writing, provide often appears in clauses like “The contract provides that…” to state a rule or obligation.

Grammar notes: provide has these forms—provide (base), provides (third-person singular present), provided (past and past participle), providing (present participle). The choice of form should align with the subject’s number and tense.

Related terms and usage notes: provide contrasts with synonyms such as supply, furnish, and procure, which carry slight nuances in emphasis or context. The word is widely used in everyday English and in policy, legal, and institutional documents to express furnishing, enabling, or stipulating.