equivalent
adjective
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Modern democracies have institutions and offices that are roughly equivalent to those found in others: the president of the United States has his British equivalent in the prime minister, for instance, and the U.S. Congress finds its equivalent in the British Parliament. The heavily armored knight on his great armored horse has been called the Middle Ages' equivalent of the army tank. In none of these examples are the two things identical to each other; they're simply very similar in their effect or purpose or nature, which is what equivalence usually implies.
Examples of equivalent in a Sentence
Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
But key developments transforming the landscape helped cement the Oakland Athletics’ temporary move to Sutter Health Park — a transformation that could herald economic impacts equivalent to that of a university’s arrival to a city, according to the Greater Sacramento Economic Council.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
Related article Famine in northern Gaza is imminent as more than 1 million people face ‘catastrophic’ levels of hunger, new report warns
For comparison, each vessel carries 300 to 400 tons of aid, equivalent to 15 to 20 trucks.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
His Truth Social platform last year brought in just a little north of $4 million—equivalent to what a single Shake Shack location takes in annually—and still lost $58 million, according to regulatory filings.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
The earth rotates 360 degrees in 24 hours, meaning one hour of time is equivalent to 15 degrees of longitude.
—Yaakov Zinberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
The weather service confirmed damage equivalent to EF-1 level winds earlier Tuesday through a post on X, formerly Twitter, but have not yet released a full report.
—Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 3 Apr. 2024
In 2021, PepsiCo announced a new 2030 goal to develop regenerative farming practices across 7 million acres—an amount roughly equivalent to the global land footprint needed to supply crops for the company’s products.
—Earl Carr, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The largest container vessel in the 1980s had a maximum capacity of 4,300 20-foot containers – otherwise referred to as TEUs, or 20-foot equivalent units, which is the standard unit of measurement for cargo capacity.
—USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'equivalent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Middle English, from Middle French or Late Latin; Middle French, from Late Latin aequivalent-, aequivalens, present participle of aequivalēre to have equal power, from Latin aequi- + valēre to be strong — more at wield
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Equivalent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equivalent. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
equivalent
1 of 2 adjectiveequivalent
2 of 2 noun
Medical Definition
equivalent
1 of 2 adjective
equivalent
2 of 2 noun
Legal Definition
equivalent
nounNote: Under patent law, a patentee may bring a claim for infringement against the inventor of an equivalent.
More from Merriam-Webster on equivalent
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for equivalent
Nglish: Translation of equivalent for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of equivalent for Arabic Speakers
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