supply

¹sup·ply

verb \sə-ˈplī\

sup·pliedsup·ply·ing

Definition of SUPPLY

transitive verb

1

: to add as a supplement

2

[Middle French souploier, alteration of soupplier]

a : to provide for : satisfy <laws by which the material wants of men are supplied — Bulletin of Bates College>

b : to make available for use : provide <supplied the necessary funds>

c : to satisfy the needs or wishes of

d : to furnish (organs, tissues, or cells) with a vital element (as blood or nerve fibers)

3

: to substitute for another in; specifically : to serve as a supply in (a church or pulpit)

intransitive verb

: to serve as a supply or substitute

— sup·pli·er \-ˈplī(-ə)r\ noun

Examples of SUPPLY

1. The company supplied the necessary money.
2. You'll have to supply your own food.

Origin of SUPPLY

Middle English supplien to complete, compensate for, from Middle French soupplier, from Latin supplēre to fill up, complete, raise (a military unit, crew) to its full complement, substitute, from sub- up + plēre to fill — more at sub-, full

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to SUPPLY

Synonyms

accoutre (or accouter), equip, fit (out), gird, kit (up or out) [chiefly British], outfit, provision, rig, furnish

Antonyms

hold (back), keep (back), reserve, retain, withhold

Related Words

stock, store; bestow, contribute, donate, give, present; apportion, deal (out), dispense, distribute, dole out, hand out, mete (out), parcel (out), portion, prorate; allocate, allot, assign; arm, fortify, prepare; reequip, refit, refurnish, reoutfit

Near Antonyms

deprive, dispossess, divest, strip

Rhymes with SUPPLY

aby, agley, air-dry, Alai, ally, Altai, anti, apply, assai, awry, aye-aye, Bacchae, Baha'i, banzai, barfly, bee fly, Belgae, belie, bigeye, big lie, black eye, blackfly, black tie, blow-dry, blowby, blowfly, blue-sky, Bo Hai, bone-dry, bonsai, botfly, Brunei, buckeye, bugeye, bye-bye, canaille, catchfly, cat's-eye, Chennai, chess pie, Chiang Mai, cockeye, cockshy, come by, comply, cow pie, crane fly, cross-eye, deadeye, decry, deep-fry, deep-sky, deerfly, defy, Delphi, deny, descry, do by, dong quai, drip-dry, drop by, dry eye, dry fly, elhi, Eli, espy, face fly, firefly, fish-eye, flesh fly, flyby, fly high, forby, freeze-dry, frogeye, fruit fly, gadfly, gallfly, get by, GI, glass eye, go by, good-bye, greenfly, grisaille, gun-shy, Haggai, Hawkeye, heel fly, hereby, hi-fi, hog-tie, horn fly, horsefly, housefly, imply, jai alai, July, Karzai, Kasai, knee-high, lanai, Lanai, lay-by, lay by, Lehigh, let fly, Levi, lie by, magpie, mai tai, mao-tai, Masai, mayfly, medfly, mind's eye, Moirai, mooneye, Mumbai, my eye, nearby, necktie, nilgai, nisi, outbye, outcry, oxeye, pad thai, Panay, panfry, Parcae, piece-dye, pigsty, pinkeye, Po Hai, pop eye, pop fly, potpie, put by, Qinghai, quasi, rabbi, red-eye, rely, reply, rib eye, ride high, rocaille, rough-dry, run dry, Sakai, sand fly, sci-fi, screw eye, semi, Sendai, serai, set by, shanghai, Shanghai, sheep's eye, shoofly, shut-eye, Sinai, sky-high, small-fry, stand by, standby, stir-fry, string tie, swear by, terai, test-fly, thereby, tie-dye, titi, tongue-tie, Transkei, twist tie, two-ply, untie, vat dye, Versailles, walleye, well-nigh, whereby, whitefly, wild rye, wise guy

²supply

noun

plural supplies

Definition of SUPPLY

1

obsolete : assistance, succor

2

a obsolete : reinforcements —often used in plural

b : a member of the clergy filling a vacant pulpit temporarily

c : the quantity or amount (as of a commodity) needed or available <beer was in short supply in that hot weather — Nevil Shute>

d : provisions, stores —usually used in plural

3

: the act or process of filling a want or need <engaged in the supply of raw materials to industry>

4

: the quantities of goods or services offered for sale at a particular time or at one price

5

: something that maintains or constitutes a supply

Examples of SUPPLY

1. adequate supplies of fresh water
2. He bought a month's supply of cigarettes.
3. They took a month's worth of supplies on the camping trip.
4. The town is in need of basic medical supplies.
5. a store that sells art supplies
6. The state is trying to disrupt the supply of illegal drugs.
7. The storm interrupted the town's electricity supply.

First Known Use of SUPPLY

15th century

Related to SUPPLY

Synonyms

budget, force, fund, inventory, pool, repertoire, reservoir, stock

Related Words

reserve, resource; cache, hoard, stockpile; refill, renewal, replacement; kitty, nest egg, pot, purse; fountain, mine, source, spring, well, wellspring

sup·ply

transitive verb \sə-ˈplī\   (Medical Dictionary)

sup·pliedsup·ply·ing

Medical Definition of SUPPLY

: to furnish (organs, tissues, or cells) with a vital element (as blood or nerve fibers)—used of nerves and blood vessels <the mandibular foramen transmits blood vessels and nerves supplying the lower teeth>