supply

[ suh-plahy ]

/ səˈplaɪ /

SEE MORE 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.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

suppliant, suppliants, the, supplicant, supplicate, supplication, supply, supply and demand, supply chain, supply teacher, supply-side, supply-side economics

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.

Related forms

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

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

Examples from the Web for supplier

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 supplier (1 of 2)

supply

/ (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

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 supplier (2 of 2)

supply

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

supply

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

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

noun, plural sup·plies.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of supply

Related forms

Examples from the Web for supplier

British Dictionary definitions for supplier (1 of 2)

supply

verb -plies, -plying or -plied

noun plural -plies

Derived Forms

Word Origin for supply

British Dictionary definitions for supplier (2 of 2)

supply

supplely (ˈsʌpəlɪ)

adverb

Culture definitions for supplier

supply

Idioms and Phrases with supplier

supply