Word forms: comparative readier, superlative readiest, plural, 3rd person singular presenttense readies, present participle readying, past tense, past participle readied
If you are readyfor something or readyto do something, you have enough experience to do it or you are old enough and sensible enough to do it.
She says she's not ready for motherhood. [+ for]
You'll have no trouble getting him into a nursery when you feel he's ready to go.
3. adjective
If you are readyto do something, you are willing to do it.
They were ready to die for their beliefs.
She was always ready to give interviews.
Synonyms: willing, happy, glad, disposed More Synonyms of ready
4. adjective
If you are ready for something, you need it or want it.
I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed. [+ for]
After five days in the heat of Bangkok, we were ready for the beach.
5. adjective
To be readyto do something means to be about to do it or likely to do it.
She looked ready to cry.
Just as we were ready to sit down to dinner, a little boy came running in.
He says it's like a volcano ready to erupt.
Synonyms: on the point of, close to, about to, on the verge of More Synonyms of ready
6. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
You use ready to describe things that are able to be used very quickly and easily.
I didn't have a ready answer for this dilemma.
'But not quite yet,' he says quickly, with that ready smile of his.
...a ready supply of well-trained and well-motivated workers.
Synonyms: prompt, smart, quick, bright More Synonyms of ready
7. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Ready money is in the form of notes and coins rather than cheques or credit cards, and so it can be used immediately.
I'm afraid I don't have enough ready cash.
Synonyms: available, handy, at the ready, at your fingertips More Synonyms of ready
Ready money is sometimes referred to as the readies.
[British, informal]
She was a bit short of the readies.
8. verb
When you ready something, you prepare it for a particular purpose.
[formal]
John's soldiers were readying themselves for the final assault. [VERB noun + for]
Cameramen readied tripods. [VERB noun]
[Also VERB noun to-infinitive]
Synonyms: prepare, get set, organize, get ready More Synonyms of ready
9. combining form
Ready combines with past participles to indicate that something has already been done, and that therefore you do not have to do it yourself.
You can buy ready-printed forms for wills at stationery shops.
If you buy the fish ready filleted, make sure the flesh is firm and springy.
10.
See at the ready
11.
See ready and waiting
12.
See ready when you are
More Synonyms of ready
ready in British English
(ˈrɛdɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: readier or readiest
1.
in a state of completion or preparedness, as for use or action
2.
willing or eager
ready helpers
3.
prompt or rapid
a ready response
4. (prenominal)
quick in perceiving; intelligent
a ready mind
5. (postpositive; foll byto)
on the point (of) or liable (to)
ready to collapse
6. (postpositive)
conveniently near (esp in the phrase ready to hand)
7. make ready
noun
8. the ready
9. at the ready
verb
10. (transitive)
to put in a state of readiness; prepare
Word origin
Old English (ge)rǣde; related to Old Frisian rēde, Old High German reiti, Old Norse reithr ready
ready in American English
(ˈrɛdi)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈreadier or ˈreadiest
1.
prepared or equipped to act or be used immediately
ready to go, ready for occupancy
2.
unhesitant; willing
a ready worker
3.
a.
likely or liable immediately
ready to cry
b.
apt; inclined
always ready to blame others
4.
clever and skillful mentally or physically; dexterous
a ready wit
5.
done or made without delay; prompt
a ready reply
6.
convenient or handy to use; available immediately
ready cash
7. Obsolete
at hand; present: a response to a roll call
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈreadied or ˈreadying
8.
to get or make ready; prepare
often used reflexively
noun
9. British, Informal
ready money; cash at hand
usually with the
SIMILAR WORDS: quick
Idioms:
at the ready
make ready
Word origin
ME redie < OE ræde, ready, prepared (for riding), akin to ridan, to ride, Ger bereit, ready, ON greithr, prepared, Goth garaiths, arranged: for IE base see ride
More idioms containing
ready
rough and ready
Examples of 'ready' in a sentence
ready
His mentality showed he wants to play and is ready to play.
The Sun (2017)
You must be ready to make sacrifices.
The Sun (2016)
Physically we are not quite ready so far.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The new moon heats up your ambitions and you are ready to put them to the test.
The Sun (2016)
I could buy three ready meals for the same price so had to say no.
The Sun (2016)
Success is out there but you need to show you're ready and able to do more at work.
The Sun (2016)
My husband did not have a ready answer.
Christianity Today (2000)
We will prepare for the game very well and we will be ready to play.
The Sun (2012)
Why not go the whole hog and buy a ready meal?
The Sun (2008)
You can also buy them ready prepared.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
What they found was a team now ready to give as good as it gets.
The Sun (2010)
You are ready and able to impress a panel in any contest.
The Sun (2010)
The two dogs were ready to tear each other to pieces.
Jan Fennell, Foreword by Monty Roberts THE DOG LISTENER: Learning the Language of your Best Friend (2002)
We have taken on board some pointers from the first leg and we are ready to go.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
There was no mother in me good enough or ready where was she?
Jackson, Rosie Mothers who Leave (1994)
Thousands of cases are thrown out at trial because they are not ready or properly prepared.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We are now ready to win something.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
There are always football clubs ready to take any kind of risk to get results.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The old warhorse is not ready to be put out to pasture just yet.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Silver began his career by blogging under a pseudonym but is now ready to become a celebrity.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
You are ready to take action but others need time to prepare so extend a deadline.
The Sun (2012)
He is ready to answer with his performance.
The Sun (2016)
United were clearly reluctant to concede their precious striker was ready to play.
The Sun (2006)
The invitation is also open to those who are not quite ready to buy.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This applies to both work and pleasure, so get ready for a busy time.
The Sun (2016)
Instead, have his new bed prepared ready for his arrival.
Standen, Chris Superdog! Action plans that work for a happy and well-behaved pet (1990)
In western Baghdad, they are ready and prepared.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In other languages
ready
British English: ready /ˈrɛdɪ/ ADJECTIVE
If someone or something is ready, they have reached the required stage for something or they are properly prepared for action or use.
It took her a long time to get ready to go out.
American English: ready
Arabic: مُسْتَعِدّ
Brazilian Portuguese: pronto
Chinese: 准备完毕的
Croatian: spreman
Czech: připravený
Danish: klar parat
Dutch: klaar
European Spanish: dispuesto
Finnish: valmis
French: prêt partant
German: bereit
Greek: έτοιμος
Italian: pronto
Japanese: 用意のできた
Korean: 준비가 된
Norwegian: klar
Polish: gotowy
European Portuguese: pronto
Romanian: pregătit
Russian: готовый
Latin American Spanish: dispuesto
Swedish: klar redo
Thai: พร้อม
Turkish: hazır
Ukrainian: готовий
Vietnamese: sẵn sàng
British English: ready VERB
When you ready something, you prepare it for a particular purpose.
His soldiers were readying themselves for the final assault.
American English: ready
Brazilian Portuguese: preparar
Chinese: 使准备好
European Spanish: preparar
French: préparer
German: fertig machen
Italian: preparare
Japanese: 準備する
Korean: 채비를 하다
European Portuguese: preparar
Latin American Spanish: aprontar
All related terms of 'ready'
ready-cut
(of wood, tiles , glass , etc) cut to size before being sold
ready-mix
consisting of ingredients blended in advance, esp of food that is ready to cook or eat after addition of milk or water
the ready
funds for immediate use; cash
make-ready
the process of preparing the forme and the cylinder or platen packing to achieve the correct impression all over the forme
oven-ready
(of various foods) bought already prepared so that they are ready to be cooked in the oven
ready-made
If something that you buy is ready-made , you can use it immediately , because the work you would normally have to do has already been done.
ready meal
Ready meals are complete meals that are sold in shops . They are already prepared and you need only heat them before eating them.
ready-mixed
blended in advance of being sold
ready money
funds for immediate use; cash
ready room
a room where aircraft crews gather for briefing before flights
touch-ready
(of software ) ready to work on touch-screen computers and devices
camera-ready
designating or of copy , artwork , etc. that is ready to be photographed for making into a plate for printing
combat-ready
ready for combat
ready-cooked
(of food or food products) cooked before it is sold
ready-witted
quick to learn or perceive
shovel-ready
of or relating to a construction project that is ready to start immediately
at the ready
If you have something at the ready , you have it in a position where it can be quickly and easily used.
ready-furnished
(of a room , house, office, etc) fitted with furniture before being rented or sold
ready-prepared
prepared in advance of use
ready reckoner
a table of numbers used to facilitate simple calculations , esp one for applying rates of discount , interest, charging, etc, to different sums
ready-to-eat
(of a meal or food product) prepared or cooked in advance , with no further cooking or preparation required before being eaten
ready-to-wear
Ready-to-wear clothes are made in standard sizes so that they fit most people, rather than being made specially for a particular person.
camera-ready copy
type matter ready to be photographed for plate-making without further alteration
ready and waiting
If you want to emphasize that a person is properly prepared for something, or that something can now be used, you can say that they are ready and waiting .
rough-and-ready
A rough and ready solution or method is one that is rather simple and not very exact because it has been thought of or done in a hurry .
ready when you are
If you say to someone ' Ready when you are ', you are telling them that you are now ready to do something and that as soon as they are ready, you will do it.
the public are ready
You can refer to people in general , or to all the people in a particular country or community , as the public .
readymade
an everyday manufactured object, as a bottle rack , a snow shovel , a urinal , or a comb , that may by the creative act of selection and designation by an artist attain status as a work of art: associated almost exclusively with the aesthetic activities of Marcel Duchamp during the period 1915 to 1917