supplement

[noun suhp-luh-muhnt; verb suhp-luh-ment]

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noun

something added to complete a thing, supply a deficiency, or reinforce or extend a whole.

a part added to a book, document, etc., to supply additional or later information, correct errors, or the like.

a part, usually of special character, issued as an additional feature of a newspaper or other periodical.

Geometry. the quantity by which an angle or an arc falls short of 180° or a semicircle.

verb (used with object)

to complete, add to, or extend by a supplement.

to form a supplement or addition to.

to supply (a deficiency).

Origin of supplement

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin supplēmentum that by which anything is made full, equivalent to sup- sup- + plē- (stem of plēre to fill; see full¹) + -mentum -ment

Related formssup·ple·ment·er, nounun·sup·ple·ment·ed, adjectivewell-sup·ple·ment·ed, adjective

Can be confusedappendix index supplement (see synonym study at appendix)complement supplement (see synonym study at complement)

Synonyms for supplement

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR supplement ON THESAURUS.COM

2. addendum, epilogue, postscript. See appendix. 5. See complement.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for supplementing

subsidize, buttress, augment, strengthen, enrich, complement, reinforce, fortify, enhance, improve, complete, extend, supply, top, increase, pad

Examples from the Web for supplementing

Contemporary Examples of supplementing

Unlike Social Security and Medicare, which were new programs, Obamacare would be supplementing and replacing current systems.
Nixon, Obama, and How We Lost Trust in the U.S. Government
Stuart Stevens
October 31, 2013
Supplementing a diet with bugs is not only nutritious but reduces pollution, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization writes.
Cicadas, Grasshoppers, Locusts, Ants Among the Tastiest Insects
Nina Strochlic
May 14, 2013

Historical Examples of supplementing

"Too slowly, since swords and pikes have to be supplementing its blade," said Gilbert.
The Countess of Charny
Alexandre Dumas (pere)
Two passages from his diary, the second supplementing the first, supply the picture.
Lausanne
Francis Henry Gribble
I shall only be supplementing what you told in your letters, Laura.
Three Comedies
Bjrnstjerne M. Bjrnson
Miss Ellsling, on the stage, seemed to be supplementing this remark.
Harlequin and Columbine
Booth Tarkington
The other boy joined in at intervals, supplementing my remarks.
Across the Prairie in a Motor Caravan
Frances Halton Eva Hasell

British Dictionary definitions for supplementing

supplement

noun (ˈsʌplɪmənt)

an addition designed to complete, make up for a deficiency, etc

a section appended to a publication to supply further information, correct errors, etc

a magazine or section inserted into a newspaper or periodical, such as one with colour photographs issued every week

geometry

either of a pair of angles whose sum is 180°
an arc of a circle that when added to another arc forms a semicircleAbbreviation: sup, supp

verb (ˈsʌplɪˌmɛnt)

(tr) to provide a supplement to, esp in order to remedy a deficiency

Derived Formssupplementation, nounsupplementer, noun

Word Origin for supplement

C14: from Latin supplēmentum, from supplēre to supply 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for supplementing

supplement

late 14c., from Latin supplementum "something added to supply a deficiency," from supplere (see supply (v.)).

supplement

1829, from supplement (n.). Related: Supplemented; supplementing.