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

see all synonyms and antonyms

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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