equivalent meaning and examples

2025-08-24

Meaning

  • Equivalent can be both an adjective and a noun.

    • As an adjective: equal in value, amount, meaning, or importance.
    • As a noun: something that has the same value, purpose, function, or meaning as something else.

Grammar and Usage

  • Adjective: describes equality in amount, value, or meaning.

    • Structure: equivalent to + noun
    • Example: His salary is equivalent to mine.

  • Noun: refers to something that is equal or corresponds to another thing.

    • Example: There is no English equivalent for this Japanese word.

Common Phrases

  • Equivalent value
  • Equivalent exchange
  • Equivalent expression
  • Equivalent resistance (physics)
  • Cultural equivalent

Collocations

  • be equivalent to
  • find/seek/provide an equivalent
  • mathematical equivalent
  • functional equivalent
  • rough equivalent

Examples

  1. One dollar is roughly equivalent to 150 yen.
  2. She received the equivalent of a gold medal in her field.
  3. The punishment should be equivalent to the crime.
  4. "Sakura" has no exact English equivalent.
  5. The two proposals are not equivalent in importance.
  6. In physics, resistors in parallel can be combined into an equivalent resistance.
  7. His effort is equivalent to working two full-time jobs.
  8. They exchanged gifts of equivalent value.
  • Equal
  • Comparable
  • Same
  • Parallel
  • Counterpart
  • Matching