Definition of “equal” - English Dictionary

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“equal” in English

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equaladjective

uk ​ /ˈiː.kwəl/ us ​ /ˈiː.kwəl/

equal adjective (SAME)

B1 the same in amount, number, or size:

One litre is equal to 1.76 imperial pints.
One box may look bigger than the other, but in fact they are roughly (= almost) equal in volume.

B1 the same in importance and deserving the same treatment:

All people are equal, deserving the same rights as each other.
They've got a long way to go before they achieve equal pay/status for men and women.

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equalnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /ˈiː.kwəl/ us ​ /ˈiː.kwəl/

B2 someone or something that has the same importance as someone or something else and deserves the same treatment:

The good thing about her as a boss is that she treats us all as equals.
Throughout her marriage she never considered her husband as her intellectual equal.
As an all-round athlete he has no equal (= no-one else is as good).

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equalverb [ L only + noun, T ]

uk ​ /ˈiː.kwəl/ us ​ /ˈiː.kwəl/ -ll- or US usually -l-

(Definition of “equal” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“equal” in American English

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equaladjective

us ​ /ˈi·kwəl/

equal adjective (SAME IN AMOUNT)

› mathematics symbol = the same in amount, number, or size:

One quart is equal to four cups.
Divide the class into equal groups.

equal adjective (DESERVING THE SAME)

› the same in importance and (of people) deserving the same treatment:

equal rights
We want a society that promotes equal opportunity for all of its citizens.
equally
adjective us ​ /ˈi·kwə·li/

›

The money was shared equally among the three sisters.

equalnoun [ C ]

us ​ /ˈi·kwəl/

equal noun [ C ] (PERSON/THING)

› someone or something that is the same in amount, size, or importance as another person or thing:

In this country, we’re all equals with the same rights.
As an all-around athlete he has no equal (= no one else is as good).

equalverb

us ​ /ˈi·kwəl/ symbol =

equal verb (BE SAME IN AMOUNT)

› mathematics to be the same in amount, number, size, or importance as another:

[ L ] 10 + 10 = 20
[ T ] We hope to equal the amount of money we raised last year.

(Definition of “equal” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“equal” in Business English

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equaladjective

uk ​ /ˈiːkwəl/ us ​

› 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 profits.
equal to sth She received a bonus of $15,065, equal to 40% of her salary.
equal in number/value/size Sakhalin is an island north of Japan, with oil and gas reserves equal in size to those remaining in the North Sea.

› treating everyone in the same way or allowing everyone to have the same opportunities:

Relationships within an organization are never equal.
Congress should focus its efforts on providing equal access to good quality education and job skills.
on an equal basis/footing/on equal terms By law, job applications from disabled people should be treated on an equal basis to those from non-disabled candidates.
all things being equal

› if the situation remains the same as it is now, or continues as expected:

All things being equal, the market should have recovered by the end of the year.
be equal to (doing) sth

› to have the ability, experience, or skill that is necessary to do something difficult:

I'm not sure he's equal to the demands of such a high-pressure job.

equalverb [ T ]

uk ​ /ˈiːkwəl/ us ​ UK -ll-, US -l-

› to be the same in price, number, size, etc:

Pre-tax profits are likely to equal last year's despite a £41 million share buy-back programme.
Casinos currently pay tax equaling 20% of their gross revenue.
equal the cost/number/amount of sth If every household used energy-saving bulbs, the reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions would equal the amount produced by almost 800,000 cars.

› if one thing equals another thing, it results in that thing:

Experience has shown us that more accountability equals better performance.

equalnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /ˈiːkwəl/ us ​

› someone or something who is as important, successful, etc. as someone or something else:

be the equal of sb/be sb's equal The EU increasingly sees itself as the equal of the US.
On a professional and personal level the two men were equals.
treat/accept/see sb as an equal Even though I was only a trainee, I was treated as an equal by the other staff.

(Definition of “equal” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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