equipment

The word “equipment” means the tools, machinery, or gear needed for a particular activity or purpose. In plain terms, the gear or tools needed to do a job or activity.

“Equipment” is pronounced ih-KWIHP-muhnt (/ɪˈkwɪpmənt/ in IPA).

Here is “equipment” used in a sentence: “The gym has state-of-the-art equipment for weight training.”

Words with a similar meaning to “equipment” include gear, kit, rigging, tackle and appurtenances.

“Equipment” is a noun.

“Equipment” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Tools are individual implements — a hammer, a wrench, a scalpel — usually handheld and used directly by a person. Equipment is the broader term for everything needed to carry out an activity, including tools but also machinery, instruments, and gear. All tools are equipment, but much equipment, such as a treadmill or a generator, would never be called a tool.

Equipment is uncountable, so it never takes a plural 's' — 'equipments' is incorrect. To count items, use a phrase such as 'a piece of equipment,' 'two pieces of equipment,' or 'a lot of equipment.' It always pairs with a singular verb: say 'the equipment is ready,' not 'the equipment are ready.'

A gym lists treadmills, dumbbells, and rowing machines as its equipment, while a kitchen's equipment includes ovens, mixers, and knives. The word covers whatever a task requires: cameras and lighting for a film shoot, or helmets, boots, and ropes for climbing. It refers to the gear collectively rather than to a single named object.