supply

1 of 3

noun

plural supplies
1
a
: the quantity or amount (as of a commodity) needed or available
beer was in short supply in that hot weatherNevil Shute
b
: provisions, stores
usually used in plural
c
: a member of the clergy filling a vacant pulpit temporarily
d
obsolete : reinforcements
often used in plural
2
: the act or process of filling a want or need
engaged in the supply of raw materials to industry
3
: the quantities of goods or services offered for sale at a particular time or at one price
4
: something that maintains or constitutes a supply
5
obsolete : assistance, succor

supply

2 of 3

verb

sup·​ply sə-ˈplī How to pronounce supply (audio)
supplied; supplying

transitive verb

1
a
: to make available for use : provide
supplied the necessary funds
b
: to satisfy the needs or wishes of
c
: to provide for : satisfy
laws by which the material wants of men are suppliedBulletin of Bates College
d
: to furnish (organs, tissues, or cells) with a vital element (such as blood or nerve fibers)
2
: to substitute for another in
specifically : to serve as a supply in (a church or pulpit)
3
: to add as a supplement

intransitive verb

: to serve as a supply or substitute
supplier noun

supply

3 of 3

less common spelling of supplely

Examples of supply in a Sentence

Noun adequate supplies of fresh water He bought a month's supply of cigarettes. They took a month's worth of supplies on the camping trip. The town is in need of basic medical supplies. a store that sells art supplies The state is trying to disrupt the supply of illegal drugs. The storm interrupted the town's electricity supply. Verb The company supplied the necessary money. You'll have to supply your own food.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
As limited supplies of food, medicine and other necessities have entered Gaza through land crossings, the United States and other nations have resorted to delivering a small amount of supplies by air and by sea. Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Milwaukee might soon change its zoning code to encourage development of small apartment buildings and apartments in commercial areas − growing the city's affordable housing supply. Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024 Food, baby clothes and other supplies were found in the home, WABC reports. Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Great Parks interpreters will be present with a limited supply of eclipse glasses at no charge on a first-come, first-serve basis. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 14 Mar. 2024 Jordan has been able to do airdrops to supply field hospitals. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2024 Critics have pointed out that airdrops and a temporary pier are insufficient, dangerous, and haphazard operations compared with ensuring a steady and reliable supply of aid delivered by trucks, which might be achieved by a cease-fire agreement. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 And when virality hits, and demand outrageously outstrips supply, the result is cute mini-totes, which Trader Joe’s said won’t be back in stock until late summer, are now reselling on eBay for up to $500. Quartz Staff, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 The cards can only be used to purchase food and baby supplies at certain kinds of stores and have fraud protections. Nate Trela, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024
Verb
The facility or campus may include a dedicated substation—which, over time, could supply excess power back into the grid and minimize any potential impact on the power needs of the surrounding communities. Phillip Marangella, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Winter weather gear would be supplied upon arrival in Yellowknife, the starting point for the trip and one of the world's best locations to see the northern lights. Sophy Roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024 Thankfully her boyfriend's closet supplied some of the essentials. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 After a half decade of Californians moving to places like Texas and Florida, an unlikely state has been supplying California with new residents. Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Across the street, there's the community garden, which — when in bloom — supplies fresh produce for visitors and serves an an outdoor classroom. Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 29 Feb. 2024 Groundwater supplies 90 percent of the nation’s drinking-water systems, which means draining aquifers could render some communities unlivable. Christopher Flavelle, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 On average, the Sierra Nevada’s snowpack supplies roughly 30% of California’s water needs, the release stated. Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 The oil pipeline transports 450,000 barrels per day of crude oil and 80,000 barrels of natural gas liquids, and supplies up to 55% of Michigan’s propane needs, and transports oil to refineries in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario and Quebec. Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'supply.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

derivative of supply entry 2

Verb

Middle English supplien "to fill up, accomplish, discharge (an office)," borrowed from Middle French soupplier "to add what is lacking to" (also souppleer, suploier "to make up for [a lack, deficiency]," suppleer a, soupplir "to replace"), going back to Latin supplēre "to fill up, complete, raise (a military unit, crew) to its full complement, make good a deficiency in," from sub- sub- + plēre "to fill" — more at full entry 1

Note: Though the French verb receives its semantic start with Latin supplēre, none of the great variety of formal outcomes appear to be directly traceable to it. Variants such as suploier and soupplier have evidently been crossed with outcomes of supplicāre "to sue for forgiveness, supplicate" (see also suppliant entry 1). The form suppleer, which may be directly behind Modern French suppléer, appears to have been both latinized (after supplēre) and conformed to verbs such as créer. The variant soupplir suggests the general Romance re-formation *supplīre (compare Old Occitan and Spanish suplir, Italian sopperire).

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of supply was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near supply

Cite this Entry

“Supply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supply. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

supply

1 of 2 verb
sup·​ply sə-ˈplī How to pronounce supply (audio)
supplied; supplying
1
: to add as a supplement
2
a
: to provide for : satisfy
enough to supply the demand
b
: to make available for use
supplied the necessary money
c
: to satisfy the needs or wishes of
supplier noun

supply

2 of 2 noun
plural supplies
1
a
: the quantity or amount of something that is needed or available
the nation's oil supply
b
: store entry 2 sense 1b
usually used in plural
2
: the act or process of filling a want or need
3
: the quantities of goods or services offered for sale at a particular time or at one price

Medical Definition

supply

transitive verb
sup·​ply sə-ˈplī How to pronounce supply (audio)
supplied; supplying
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on supply

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