ENGLISH
REFERENCE

equate

v.
C1 Advanced US //ɪˈkweɪt// UK //ɪkwˈeɪt// equate Academic

v. to think that two things are the same or have the same value. You use this when comparing ideas or amounts that seem equal to you.

v. to consider or represent two things as being identical or equivalent. Often used to link abstract concepts or numerical values.


SIMPLE

Many people equate wealth with happiness.

CONTEXTUAL

In many political debates, critics often equate a lack of regulation with a lack of safety for the public.

COMPLEX

The study warns that we should not equate a high volume of social media engagement with genuine political influence, as the two metrics often diverge significantly.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English equaten, from Latin aequātus, perfect passive participle of aequō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Usage

The verb is transitive and almost always takes the preposition 'with' to connect the two items being compared.

Pitfall

He equates success to money.He equates success with money.While 'equal to' is correct for the adjective, the verb 'equate' standardly requires the preposition 'with'.

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