# Do Americans use the word Configure? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493 "2003-03-11T05:54:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![samboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@samboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samboy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/1 "2003-03-11T05:54:16Z")
What is up with the word **Configure**? I was talking to someone the other day who mentioned that Americans dont use the word configure. I found this quite strange and check it using the Cambridge Dictionary of American English and sure enough it wasn’t there. There is configuration, but not configured. Is this word really gibberish to most people? Is it only used in the computer world? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/2 "2003-03-11T05:55:30Z")
The National Basketball Association is configured into two conferences and four divisions. Major League Baseball is configured into two leagues with three divisions each. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/3 "2003-03-11T05:56:30Z")
It’s DEFINITELY used in the computer world. I’m a yank, and I use it, although I’m struggling to think of a non-computer use that I’d put it to. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/4 "2003-03-11T06:02:42Z")
This American uses it weekly, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/5 "2003-03-11T06:05:40Z")
Americans use configure in all of its forms: configure, configuring, configuration, and configured. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/6 "2003-03-11T06:05:57Z")
Plenty of non-computer uses in the US: - The building is configured for maximum ventilation. - Configure your engine for highest fuel efficiency. - We’ve reconfigured the speaker system to get the best sound. - As fas as i configure, there’s plenty of uses for this word. OK, the last one was a terrible pun. ---
**Author:** ![samboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@samboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samboy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/7 "2003-03-11T06:12:32Z")
Thanks for the replies. So it is used, but WHY is it not in the dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/8 "2003-03-11T06:15:11Z")
Did you know that the word “gullible” is not in the dictionary? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/9 "2003-03-11T06:20:45Z")
The word **configure** is in Webster’s, including an example: “a fighter plane configured for the Malaysian air force.” My guess is that the word was back-formed from “configuration” and some dictionaries haven’t recognized it as a word yet. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/10 "2003-03-11T06:24:34Z")
You did say the Cambridge Dictionary of American English? 'nuff said, Try Webster’s or Random House: pg. 285 con.fig.ure (ken fig’ yer), v.t…oh hell, trust me it’s in there ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/11 "2003-03-11T06:30:34Z")
“Configure” is in my American Heritage Dictionary (3rd edition). Granted, this is a more liberal dictionary than some are and includes words more quickly than other dictionaries do. (For example, this 1992 edition includes the term “E-mail”.) However, the definition of “configure” does not restrict it to the computer world or to certain dialects. I would guess that the word is used more often among techinical types, but then again, it is a technical word, as **Q.E.D.** demonstrated above: “configure a building’s ventilation”, “configure your engine”, “reconfigure a speaker system”. It’s an engineer’s word 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kewk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ab992/32.png) [@Kewk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kewk)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/12 "2003-03-11T06:32:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*Did you know that the word “gullible” is not in the dictionary? \*\* ROFL @ Q.E.D. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/13 "2003-03-11T07:17:34Z")
I configured my Chicken McGrill to a tomato-less version at lunch today. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/14 "2003-03-11T09:00:57Z")
I’ve heard _some_ people (not exclusively Americans) use "configurate’ - this practice annoyificationises me a little. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/15 "2003-03-11T09:10:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*I’ve heard _some_ people (not exclusively Americans) use "configurate’ - this practice annoyificationises me a little. \*\* Sounds like you need to reorientate them. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/16 "2003-03-11T10:45:26Z")
Liberal dictionary or not, I’d be schocked if you can find an American English dictionary that does not have the word configure. It’s a perfectly normal, common word. Yeah, it’s possible some people use “configurate” just as some people say “conversate” instead of “converse.” It’s that whole backformation phenomenon going on. So, “conversation” is misanalyzed and back-formed into “conversate” and “configuration” is back-formed into “configure.” This is not unusual in English, and several common words are the results of back-formation. “Burgle” existed originally as the noun “burglar.” People heard the “-ar” ending as an “-er” and naturally thought a burglar must be one who burgles. There’s a couple more of these “-ar” or “-or” words whose noun forms preceded their verb forms, but they escape me at the mo. ---
**Author:** ![kp\_72110](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e68b1a/32.png) [@kp\_72110](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kp_72110)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/17 "2003-03-11T11:46:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*Did you know that the word “gullible” is not in the dictionary? \*\* I believe that it should be because it would only work towards the [embetterment](http://www.aoshingo.com/dubya/audio/embetterment.wav) of us all. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/18 "2003-03-11T12:22:42Z")
I’m in full agreeance with that. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/19 "2003-03-11T12:50:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Smeghead \* > \*\*Sounds like you need to reorientate them. \*\* Thanks for suggestionizing that; I will implementate it at once. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493/20 "2003-03-11T14:29:44Z")
So after an analyzation of the facts, we have established that Americans do indeed use the word “configure,” irregardless of what your friend says. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-americans-use-the-word-configure/160493.md?page=2)