equal

equal
1 adjective
1 SAME the same in size, value, amount, number etc as something else: Jennifer cut the cake into six equal pieces.
(+ to): A pound is roughly equal to 500 grams. | of equal power/strength/weight: Choose two stones of roughly equal weight and size.
2 SAME RIGHTS/CHANCES having the same rights, opportunities etc as everyone else, whatever your race, religion, or sex: Our constitution states that all men are equal. | equal opportunities (=the same chances of employment, pay etc for everyone): This company is an equal opportunity employer. | equal rights (=the same rights for everyone): a clear statement guaranteeing equal rights for women
3 BE ABLE be equal to to have the ability to deal with a problem, piece of work etc successfully: I'm sure Barbara's quite equal to the task.
4 AS GOOD AS having as high a standard or quality as something else: religious architecture equal to any in the world
5 on equal terms with neither side having any advantage over the other: a new law to enable small businesses to compete on equal terms with large multinational corporations
6 all (other) things being equal spoken used when saying what you would normally choose, unless there were special facts to consider: I'd rather go by train, all other things being equal.
2 verb equalled, equalling BrE equaled, equaling AmE
1 (linking verb) to be exactly the same in size, number, or amount as something else: Two plus two equals four. | Trade should balance when supply equals demand.
2 (T) to be as good as or get to the same standard as someone or something else: Thompson equalled the world record.
3 (T) to produce a particular result or effect: A highly-trained workforce equals high productivity.
3 noun (C)
1 someone who is as important, intelligent etc as you are, or who has the same rights and opportunities as you do: It's a relief to find a boss who treats employees as equals.
2 be without equal also have no equal formal to be better than everyone or everything else of the same type: His paintings are without equal in the Western world.

Longman dictionary of contemporary English. 2004.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • equal — Ⅰ. equal UK US /ˈiːkwəl/ adjective ► the same in price, number, size, etc.: »The values of cross border and internal sales were about equal over the year. an equal amount/number/share »Instead of an equal share, we got only one fifth of the… …   Financial and business terms

  • equal — 1. As a verb, equal has inflected forms equalled, equalling in BrE and equaled, equaling in AmE. 2. As an adjective, equal is followed by to (The square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides), whereas the… …   Modern English usage

  • Equal — E qual, a. [L. aequalis, fr. aequus even, equal; akin to Skr. ?ka, and perh. to L. unus for older oinos one, E. one.] 1. Agreeing in quantity, size, quality, degree, value, etc.; having the same magnitude, the same value, the same degree, etc.;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • equal — 1 adj [Latin aequalis, from aequus level, equal] 1: like in quality, nature, or status 2: like for each member of a group, class, or society 3: regarding or affecting all objects in the same way: impartial equal 2 …   Law dictionary

  • equal — [ē′kwəl] adj. [ME < L aequalis, equal < aequus, level, even, flat] 1. of the same quantity, size, number, value, degree, intensity, quality, etc. 2. having the same rights, privileges, ability, rank, etc. 3. evenly proportioned; balanced or …   English World dictionary

  • Equal — E qual, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Equaled}or {Equalled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Equaling} or {Equalling}.] 1. To be or become equal to; to have the same quantity, the same value, the same degree or rank, or the like, with; to be commen?urate with. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • equal — ► ADJECTIVE 1) being the same in quantity, size, degree, value, or status. 2) evenly or fairly balanced: an equal contest. 3) (equal to) having the ability or resources to meet (a challenge). ► NOUN ▪ a person or thing that is equal to another. ► …   English terms dictionary

  • equal ~ — to (one kilometer is equal to five eighths of a mile; equal to the occasion) equal in (equal in price) …   Combinatory dictionary

  • Equal — E qual, n. 1. One not inferior or superior to another; one having the same or a similar age, rank, station, office, talents, strength, or other quality or condition; an equal quantity or number; as, If equals be taken from equals the remainders… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Equal — commonly refers to a state of equality.Equal may also refer to:* Equals sign, or the symbol = * An equality operator, a relational operator expressed as = in C style * Equal (sweetener), a brand of artificial sweetener * EQUAL Community… …   Wikipedia

  • equal — [adj1] alike according, balanced, break even, commensurate, comparable, coordinate, correspondent, corresponding, double, duplicate, egalitarian, equivalent, evenly matched, fifty fifty*, homologous, identic, identical, indistinguishable,… …   New thesaurus

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