From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishreadyread‧y1 /ˈredi/ ●●● S1 W2 adjective 1 prepared [not before noun]READY if you are ready, you are prepared for what you are going to do Come on. Aren’t you ready yet? When the doorbell rang he was ready and waiting.ready to do something Everything’s packed, and we’re ready to leave. Why does it take you so long to get ready to go out?ready for something I don’t feel that I’m ready for my driving test yet. I felt strong, fit, and ready for anything.ready with something At the end of the lecture, I was ready with questions.make ready (=prepare to start doing something) We made ready for our journey home.when you’re ready (=said to tell someone that you are ready for them to start doing something)ready when you are (=said to tell someone that you are ready to do what you have arranged to do together) → prepare2 for immediate use [not before noun]READY if something is ready, someone has prepared it and you can use it immediately When will supper be ready?ready to use/eat etc The computer is now set up and ready to use.ready for something Is everything ready for the exhibition? I’ve got to get a room ready for our guests.3 → have something ready4 → be/feel ready for something5 → be ready to do something6 willing [not before noun]WILLING very willing to do somethingready to do something He was always ready to help us. She was ready and willing to work hard.7 quick [only before noun]FAST/QUICK available or coming without delay They need to have ready access to police files. a ready supply of drink I had no ready answer to his question. an intelligent man with a ready wit8 → ready money/cash9 → ready, steady, go! → readily, readiness, → rough and ready at rough1(15)THESAURUSready [not before noun] having done everything that needs to be done in order to prepare for somethingAre you ready? The taxi’s here.I don’t feel that I’m ready for the test yet.prepared [not before noun] ready to deal with a situation, because you are expecting it or have made careful preparationsThe police were prepared for trouble.The team looked well-prepared for the game.be all set to be ready to start doing something that you have planned to do, and be just about to do itWe were all set for a barbecue when it started to rain.be good to go American English informal be ready to start doing something after completing all the necessary preparationsWe just need to get you a pair of skis and you’re good to go.ripe ripe fruit are soft, sweet, and ready to eatDon’t pick the apples until they’re really ripe.a delicious ripe plumbe in place if the arrangements or the equipment for doing something are in place, they are ready to start being usedThe television cameras were in place for the wedding.All the arrangements are in place for a new constitution and democratic elections.be standing by if people are standing by, they are ready to take action and help if they are needed – used especially about medical teams, police, the army etcOfficers in full riot gear were standing by outside the police station.Several ambulances were standing by.
Examples from the Corpus
ready• Lunch is ready!• That's settled then. I'll go and get ready.• There was need for haste, but all was ready.• On the Internet, you have ready access to huge amounts of information.• When the pasta's ready, add the sauce.• The wedding guests were all ready and waiting long before the bride arrived.• a ready answer• The pans scrubbed, ready for another action-packed day.• I was getting the table ready for the captain's breakfast.• It was soon time for the actors to get ready for the evening performance.• Is everything ready for the party?• I don't feel that I'm ready for the test yet.• It took several months to get the boat ready for the voyage.• When everyone is ready, I'll give the signal to start.• City officials said the master plan should be ready in December in time for a public hearing.• Your dry cleaning will be ready on Thursday.• Are you ready? The taxi's here.• A well organised right-hander, he, too, seems ready to advance to higher things.• In a year's time, the wine will be ready to drink.• Bridge that gap with over-wintering onion sets, ready to eat from May to July.• My sister always spends hours getting ready to go out.• Your suit will be ready to pick up on Wednesday.• Keep warm until ready to serve.• Hudspeth is ready to talk about lawyers in general.• "Shall we go then?" "Yes, ready when you are."• I'm sorry, your car isn't ready yet, sir.• Wait a minute. I'm not ready yet.• Is dinner ready yet?ready and waiting• The Rhodesian forces are ready and waiting.• Then when they'd finished eating they picked up their guns and the animals were there, ready and waiting.• Something inside him was ready and waiting and familiar.• Three o'clock found them ready and waiting, arrayed in their most festive attire.• They had plenty of berries and there would be jobs ready and waiting for them.• He discovered it has two electrons that could be described as ready and waiting to form chemical bonds.• She was ready and waiting when Roman tapped on her door.• You will then have the right specimens ready and waiting whenever anyone decides to up sticks and move.ready to use/eat etc• Cook or serve food only when everyone is hungry and ready to eat.• Cover bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.• If not eating both grapefruit halves at the same time, keep the remaining filling in the bowl until ready to use.• The muffins will still be quite warm but will also be finished and ready to eat.• Bridge that gap with over-wintering onion sets, ready to eat from May to July.• He is quite ready to use his abrasive manner in an effort to get a better life for the orphans.• I was ready to eat it all, the wrappings, the glass containers, the windows in the walls.• Camlab has announced a new ready to use system for discontinuous, denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of proteins. ready to do something• Throughout the day and night, we have to be ready to accept all kinds of aircraft.• Kadish said the planes were ready to go 96 percent of the time.• Equipped for racing, ready to go for this season.• I was glad, at the end of the week, when she said she was ready to go home.• Fate appears ready to hand him a Big Moment, and he is eager to seize it.• A six-level parking garage is ready to handle 15,000 cars.• Britain said it was ready to lift the sanctions at once.• All my love and kisses, Sue Marion put the letter in her bag, ready to take to work tomorrow.ready supply• He has a ready supply, and despite the heavy atmosphere and flat light it carries us out to Langdale.• This ensures a ready supply for a few weeks without having to repeat the process.• So they always have a ready supply of air in their lungs with which to generate clicks and sing songs.• A ready supply of meat that makes weekly shopping for meats unnecessary. 2.• It means I've always got a ready supply of paint stirring or glue sticks.• Dozens of national ticket brokers have a ready supply to pass on, albeit for a profit.readyready2 verb (readied, readying, readies) [transitive] formalREADY to make something or someone ready for something SYN prepareready somebody/something for something I tried to ready him for the bad news.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
ready• I waited for her to try to scream again, readying myself to leap upon her and bear her down.• Hurrying down to his men, he readied them.readyready3 noun 1 → at the ready2 → the readiesreadyready4 adverb → ready cooked/prepared etcExamples from the Corpus
ready• And you have the framework of your story ready made for you, a great help to the beginner.From Longman Business Dictionaryreadyread‧y /ˈredi/ adjective ready money/cash/source/supply money etc that is easily available to be used at any timea government initiative to ensure a ready supply of skilled software graduatesOrigin ready1 (1100-1200) Old English ræde “prepared” 