supply

[ suh-plahy ]

/ səˈplaɪ /

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See synonyms for: supply / supplied / supplies / supplying 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

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb sup(p)lien “to fill up, complete,” from Middle French souplier, soupleer, ultimately from Latin supplēre “to fill up” (equivalent to sup- prefix + plēre “to fill”); noun derivative of the verb; see sup- full¹

OTHER WORDS FROM supply

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

Other definitions 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. 2023

How to use supply in a sentence

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
A plastic factory, a hardware supplier, and shipping–and-receiving giants like Fed-Ex and DHL are neighboring businesses.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For air supplier Hughes Aircraft, it was crucial satellite pieces from Russia.
The American Ebola Rescue Plan Hinges on One Company. Meet Phoenix.|Abby Haglage|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now, he co-owns Happy Valley Meat Company, a high-quality beef supplier.
The Bioethicist Turned Butcher|Elizabeth Picciuto|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And for most of its existence, Tesla has relied on a single supplier for the battery cells: Panasonic.
From the Model T to the Model S|The Daily Beast|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ask someone from your power supplier or electric dealer to talk to the club about the different kinds of lamps.
Electricity for the 4-H Scientist|Eric B. Wilson
You know—they ask for one thing, and get the wrong weight, or their supplier is out of material, or something goes wrong.
Bear Trap|Alan Edward Nourse
To keep her grasp on her money-supplier she took 232 Elizabeth with her.
Polly in New York|Lillian Elizabeth Roy
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
The price of necessities depended on the conscience of the individual supplier and the ignorance of the people.
A Labrador Doctor|Wilfred Thomason Grenfell

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.

Other Idioms and Phrases with supply

supply

see in short supply.

supply

Origin of supply

OTHER WORDS FROM supply

Other definitions for supply (2 of 2)

Origin of supply

Words related to supply

How to use supply in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for supply (1 of 2)

Derived forms of supply

Word Origin for supply

British Dictionary definitions for supply (2 of 2)

supplely (ˈsʌpəlɪ)

Cultural definitions for supply

Other Idioms and Phrases with supply