Standard Lemma guide

furnish

name · noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈfɝnɪʃ/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfɜːnɪʃ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)nɪʃ
  • CMU ARPABET: F ER1 N IH0 SH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Material used to create an engineered product.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To provide a place with furniture, or other equipment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To supply or give (something).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To supply (somebody) with something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

Examples

  • The street outside my window furnishes meager entertainment.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

give something useful or necessary to

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • We provided the room with an electrical heater

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: supply, provide, render

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: give

Narrower terms: hydrate, charge, date, feed, calk, fund, stint, skimp, scant, terrace, terrasse, dado, innervate, offer, signalize, signalise, extend, stock, buy in, stock up, caption, tube, ticket, rim, fret, step, rail, grate, capitalize, capitalise, alphabetize, wharf, air-cool, air-condition, uniform, railroad, partner, bewhisker, whisker, subtitle, headline, match, hobnail, wive, victual, surfeit, cloy, heat, seat, ramp, arm, interleave, glass, glaze, crenel, crenelate, crenellate, causeway, canal, canalize, canalise, bush, brattice, furnish, slat, berth, bed, computerize, computerise, costume, bottom, rafter, tool, key, fuel, provision, purvey, yield, give, afford, equip, fit, fit out, outfit, transistorize, transistorise, upholster, cleat, coal, corbel, cornice, constitutionalize, copper-bottom, curtain, gate, index, joint, articulate, pour, pump, fire, flood, oversupply, glut, toggle, patch, water, leverage, tap, top, top out, reflectorize, reflectorise, retrofit, border, edge, machicolate, sanitate, hat, theme, kern, headquarter, shelter

7

verb

Meaning 7

provide or equip with furniture

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • We furnished the house in the Biedermeyer style

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: supply, provide, render, furnish

Narrower terms: refurnish

History

Etymology

English surname, variant of Furness. Also a variant of Furneaux, Furnace.

From Middle English furnysshen, from Old French furniss-, stem of certain parts of furnir, fornir (Modern French fournir), from Germanic, from Frankish *frumjan (“to complete, execute”), from Proto-Germanic *frumjaną (“to further, promote”), from Proto-Indo-European *promo- (“front, forward”). Cognate with Old High German frumjan (“to perform, provide”), Old High German fruma (“utility, gain”), Old English fremu (“profit, advantage”), Old English fremian (“to promote, perform”). More at frame, frim.

Across languages

Translations

89 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: أْثَث (ʔṯaṯ) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Arabic: فرش (faraš) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Bulgarian: обзавеждам (obzaveždam) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Bulgarian: мебелирам (mebeliram) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Cornish: takla — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Czech: vybavit nábytkem — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Danish: møblere — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Dutch: meubileren — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Dutch: bemeubelen — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Dutch: meubelen — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Esperanto: mebligi — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Finnish: sisustaa — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Finnish: kalustaa — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Finnish: varustaa — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • French: meubler — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • French: garnir — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Galician: amoblar — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • German: möblieren — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • German: einrichten — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Hebrew: רִהֵט (rihét) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Hungarian: bebútoroz — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Hungarian: berendez — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Ido: moblizar — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Japanese: 備え付ける (sonaetsukeru) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Korean: 비치하다 (bichihada) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Latin: ornō — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Macedonian: у́реди (úredi) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Macedonian: на́мести (námesti) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Macedonian: о́преми (ópremi) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Macedonian: мебели́ра (mebelíra) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Māori: whakarawe — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Norman: meublier — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Norwegian: innrede — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Norwegian: møblere — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Polish: meblować — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Polish: umeblować — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Portuguese: mobiliar — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Portuguese: mobilar — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Romanian: mobila — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Russian: мебли́ровать (meblírovatʹ) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Spanish: amoblar — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Spanish: amueblar — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Spanish: mueblar — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Spanish: alhajar — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Swedish: inreda — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Swedish: möblera — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Ottoman Turkish: دوشهمك (döşemek) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Ukrainian: меблюва́ти (mebljuváty) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Ukrainian: обмеблюва́ти (obmebljuváty) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Ukrainian: обставляти меблями (obstavljaty mebljamy) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Ukrainian: обставити меблями (obstavyty mebljamy) — to provide with furniture or other equipment
  • Afrikaans: verskaf — to supply
  • Bulgarian: снабдявам (snabdjavam) — to supply
  • Catalan: fornir — to supply
  • Chinese Mandarin: 提供 (tígōng) — to supply
  • Danish: forsyne — to supply
  • Danish: udstyre — to supply
  • Finnish: varustaa — to supply
  • Finnish: toimittaa — to supply
  • French: fournir — to supply
  • French: livrer — to supply
  • German: ausrüsten — to supply
  • Ancient Greek: παρέχω (parékhō) — to supply
  • Ancient Greek: ἐκπορίζω (ekporízō) — to supply
  • Hebrew: צִיֵּד (tsiyéd) — to supply
  • Hungarian: ellát — to supply
  • Italian: fornire — to supply
  • Japanese: 供給する (kyōkyū suru) — to supply
  • Korean: 공급하다 (gonggeuphada) — to supply
  • Macedonian: сна́бди (snábdi) — to supply
  • Polish: dostarczyć — to supply
  • Polish: dostarczać — to supply
  • Polish: zaopatrzyć — to supply
  • Polish: zaopatrywać — to supply
  • Portuguese: fornecer — to supply
  • Russian: снабжа́ть (snabžátʹ) — to supply
  • Russian: снабди́ть (snabdítʹ) — to supply
  • Russian: предоставля́ть (predostavljátʹ) — to supply
  • Russian: предоста́вить (predostávitʹ) — to supply
  • Spanish: suministrar — to supply
  • Spanish: proporcionar — to supply
  • Spanish: dotar — to supply
  • Spanish: abastecer — to supply
  • Spanish: fornir — to supply
  • Spanish: aducir — to supply
  • Spanish: fornecer — to supply
  • Swedish: tillhandahålla — to supply
  • Swedish: förse — to supply
  • Vietnamese: cung cấp — to supply