to make something or somebody ready to be used or to do something
prepare something/somebody to prepare a report
prepare something/somebody for somebody/something A hotel room is being prepared for them.
The college prepares students for a career in business.
prepare somebody/something to do something The training has prepared me to deal with any medical issue.
prepare for something We all set about preparing for the party.
to make yourself ready to do something or for something that you expect to happen
I had no time to prepare.
prepare for something The whole class is working hard preparing for the exams.
prepare yourself for something The police are preparing themselves for trouble at the demonstration.
I had been preparing myself for this moment.
Her condition is not improving as we hoped. You must prepare yourselves for the worst.
prepare yourself As I waited, I closed my eyes to mentally prepare myself.
prepare to do something I was preparing to leave.
prepare yourself to do something The troops prepared themselves to go into battle.
to make food ready to be eaten
He was in the kitchen preparing lunch.
to prepare meals/food/dinner
to make a medicine or chemical substance, for example by mixing other substances together
remedies prepared from herbal extracts
to make it possible or easier for something to be achieved
The committee will prepare the ground for next month's meeting.
Early experiments with rockets prepared the ground for space travel.