supply

[ suh-plahy ]

/ səˈplaɪ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR supply ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), sup·plied, sup·ply·ing.

to furnish or provide (a person, establishment, place, etc.) with what is lacking or requisite: to supply someone clothing; to supply a community with electricity.

to furnish or provide (something wanting or requisite): to supply electricity to a community.

to make up, compensate for, or satisfy (a deficiency, loss, need, etc.): The TVA supplied the need for cheap electricity.

to fill or occupy as a substitute, as a vacancy, a pulpit, etc.: During the summer local clergymen will supply the pulpit.

verb (used without object), sup·plied, sup·ply·ing.

to fill the place of another, especially the pulpit of a church, temporarily or as a substitute: Who will supply until the new minister arrives?

noun, plural sup·plies.

the act of supplying, furnishing, providing, satisfying, etc.: to begin the supply of household help.

something that is supplied: The storm cut off our water supply.

a quantity of something on hand or available, as for use; a stock or store: Did you see our new supply of shirts?

Usually supplies . a provision, stock, or store of food or other things necessary for maintenance: to lay in supplies for the winter.

Economics. the quantity of a commodity that is in the market and available for purchase or that is available for purchase at a particular price.

supplies, Military.

all items necessary for the equipment, maintenance, and operation of a military command, including food, clothing, arms, ammunition, fuel, materials, and machinery.
procurement, distribution, maintenance, and salvage of supplies.

a person who fills a vacancy or takes the place of another, especially temporarily.

supplies. Obsolete. reinforcement (def. 4).

Obsolete. aid.

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Origin of supply

1325–75; (v.) Middle English sup(p)lien<Middle French souplier, variant of soupleer ≪ Latin supplēre to fill up, equivalent to sup-sup- + plēre to fill (see full¹); (noun) late Middle English: aid, succor, derivative of the v.

OTHER WORDS FROM supply

sup·pli·er, nounun·sup·plied, adjectivewell-sup·plied, adjective

Definition for supply (2 of 2)

supply²

[ suhp-lee ]

/ ˈsʌp li /

adverb

in a supple manner or way; supplely.

Origin of supply

First recorded in 1525–35; supple + -ly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for supply

It does not pay to rely on a single place for manufacturing operations and supply chain processes.
COVID proves that companies need to reduce their dependence on China|matthewheimer|September 11, 2020|Fortune
Today, Betsy is associate director of facilities at Phillips Academy Andover and Tom works in supply chain management for a Palo Alto consulting firm.
Tom Davis ’84, SM ’85 & Betsy Davis ’84, MArch ’88|Tate Ryan-Mosley|September 8, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Its factories churn out more than half the globe’s total vaccine supply and produce more generic drugs than anywhere else.
More than manufacturing: India’s homegrown COVID vaccines could transform its pharma industry|Naomi Xu Elegant|September 6, 2020|Fortune
Additionally, they must figure out who will receive the vaccine first, ensure that they have enough syringes and other supplies, and set up databases to track who is receiving the vaccine.
What would it actually take to have a COVID-19 vaccine by November?|Kate Baggaley|September 4, 2020|Popular Science

Verma says she joined her group, a citywide grocery and supply delivery effort that attracted more than 500 volunteers, because she had a hunch no government or charity agency was up for the challenge ahead.
Mutual Aid Groups Reckon With the Future: ‘We Don’t Want This to Just Be a Fad’|Tim Donnelly|September 2, 2020|Eater
MK Chambers Company Michigan-based supplier of specialty machining.
The 26 Next Hobby Lobbys|Abby Haglage|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
MK Chambers Company Michigan-based supplier of specialty machining.
After Hobby Lobby, These 82 Corporations Could Drop Birth Control Coverage|Abby Haglage|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
MN Plastics Michigan-based supplier of custom injection molding products.
After Hobby Lobby, These 82 Corporations Could Drop Birth Control Coverage|Abby Haglage|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
About 90 cents goes to the supplier and about 50 cents goes to the troop.
Why Are Girl Scout Camps Being Closed?|Alessandra Rafferty|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cree is primarily a supplier to commercial and industrial users.
Why You Should Give LED Light Bulbs for Christmas. Seriously.|Daniel Gross|December 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
To want to be loved means usually to want some one to be a protector, a giver of pleasure, a supplier of wants.
What a Young Woman Ought to Know|Mary Wood-Allen
He fed heavily on porridge, and was a cook (supplier of food) as well as a king.
Ancient Man in Britain|Donald A. (Donald Alexander) Mackenzie
Would not "purchaser" or "buyer," and "supplyman" or "supplier," be better terms?
Letters from an Old Railway Official|Charles DeLano Hine
Some countries publish the minutes of the tender committee (which has to explain WHY it selected this or that supplier).
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin
First, as to its value as a supplier of the necessary elements of plant-food.
Manures and the principles of manuring|Charles Morton Aikman

British Dictionary definitions for supply (1 of 2)

supply¹

/ (səˈplaɪ) /

verb -plies, -plying or -plied

(tr often foll by with) to furnish with something that is requiredto supply the community with good government

(tr; often foll by to or for) to make available or provide (something that is desired or lacking)to supply books to the library

(tr) to provide for adequately; make good; satisfywho will supply their needs?

to serve as a substitute, usually temporary, in (another's position, etc)there are no clergymen to supply the pulpit

(tr) British to fill (a vacancy, position, etc)

noun plural -plies

the act of providing or something that is provided
(as modifier)a supply dump

(often plural) an amount available for use; stock

(plural) food, equipment, etc, needed for a campaign or trip

economics

willingness and ability to offer goods and services for sale
the amount of a commodity that producers are willing and able to offer for sale at a specified priceCompare demand (def. 9)

military

the management and disposal of food and equipment
(as modifier)supply routes

(often plural) a grant of money voted by a legislature for government expenses, esp those not covered by other revenues

(in Parliament and similar legislatures) the money voted annually for the expenses of the civil service and armed forces

a person who acts as a temporary substitute
(as modifier)a supply vicar

a source of electrical energy, gas, etc

obsolete aid or assistance

Derived forms of supply

suppliable, adjectivesupplier, noun

Word Origin for supply

C14: from Old French souppleier, from Latin supplēre to complete, from sub- up + plēre to fill

British Dictionary definitions for supply (2 of 2)

supply²

supplely (ˈsʌpəlɪ)

/ (ˈsʌplɪ) /

adverb

in a supple manner

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

Cultural definitions for supply

supply

The amount of any given commodity available for sale at a given time.

Idioms and Phrases with supply

supply

see in short supply.

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supply

verb (used with object), sup·plied, sup·ply·ing.