verb
equate
ih-KWAYT/ɪˈkweɪt/
To regard or make two things equal or equivalent.
The balanced scales equate the weights of two different arrangements of blocks.
Etymology
The ancestor meant “make even or equal,” reflected in early uses for balancing or harmonizing ingredients. The selected sense shifts from actually making things equal to regarding or representing them as equal.
In context
Mandeville was wrong to equate self-interest with Vice since self-love may frequently be a virtuous motive of action
More examples
- The formula equates the two expressions.
- He mistakenly equated silence with agreement.
- You cannot equate a small error with deliberate deception.
Forms
equate · equates · equated · equating
Similar words
- liken
- Compares things without treating them as equal.
- compare
- Compare examines similarities and differences; equate treats the things as equivalent.