Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - ready

~1 adj 1 »PREPARED« prepared for what you are going to do  (Come on. Aren't you ready yet? | ready to do sth)  (Everything's packed, and we're ready to leave.) + for  (I don't want to take the test yet; I'm not ready for it.) get ready  (I need about half an hour to get ready, so I'll see you at six. | make ready formal (=prepare to start doing something) | ready for anything)  (I felt strong, fit, and ready for anything. | ready and waiting)  (When the right opportunity came, she was ready and waiting. | ready for (the) off spoken (=ready to go somewhere))  (Right, I'm ready for the off. | when you're ready spoken (=used to tell someone that you are ready for them to start doing something) | ready when you are spoken (=used to tell someone that you are ready to do what you have arranged to do together) | ready to roll spoken (=ready to start an activity, journey etc)) 2 »FOR IMMEDIATE USE« something that is ready can be used or eaten immediately  (When will supper be ready? | The peaches are ripe and ready to eat.) + for  (Is everything ready for the exhibition?) get sth ready  (We must get the house ready for the new tenants. | have sth ready)  (Next time, I had my answer ready. | ready cooked/mixed etc (=already cooked or mixed, and ready to be eaten or used)) 3 be ready for a drink/meal/holiday etc spoken to need or want a drink, meal etc as soon as possible  (You must be ready for a drink after all that hard work.) 4 be ready to cry/drop etc informal to be so upset or tired that you feel you will cry, fall down etc  (By the end of that walk, we were ready to drop.) 5 »WILLING« willing and quick to do or give something  (She's always ready with an excuse.) ready to do sth  (You're too ready to criticize. | They were wonderful neighbours - always ready to help in a crisis.) 6 »QUICK« only before noun quick or without delay  (a ready answer | This system gives readier access to the data. | a ready wit (=the ability to think quickly of clever, amusing things to say)) 7 ready money/cash money that can be spent at once in coins or notes  (He was only willing to sell it for ready cash.) 8 ready, steady, go! BrE spoken used to tell people to start a race  (- see also readily, readiness, rough and ready rough1 (12)) ~2 n 1 at the ready especially BrE available to be used immediately  (The crowd stood around, cameras at the ready.) 2 the readies BrE slang money that is available to be used immediately  (I'm trying to scrape together the readies to pay for a trip to Hong Kong.) ~3 v formal to make something ready