dietary supplement

noun

: a product taken orally that contains one or more ingredients (such as vitamins or amino acids) that are intended to supplement one's diet and are not considered food

Examples of dietary supplement in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the clip, the Dead to Me actress, 54, showed off her shiny lips while taking a dietary supplement and laughing in bed. —Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025

Still, talk with your healthcare provider before starting any new dietary supplement. —Ashley Braun, Verywell Health, 15 Dec. 2025

High-antioxidant black seed oil is also sold as a dietary supplement, often used to support immunity, reduce inflammation and improve digestive health. —Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 22 Nov. 2025

Melatonin Supplements Can Affect the Whole Body In the United States, melatonin is sold as an over-the-counter dietary supplement and is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). —Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

dietary supplement

noun

: a product taken orally that contains one or more ingredients (such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, or amino acids) that are intended to supplement one's diet and are not considered food

The study is looking at whether taking daily dietary supplements of vitamin D₃ or omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk for developing cancer, heart disease and stroke.

—Mary Brophy Marcus, USA Today

A hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain, melatonin also occurs naturally in some foods. It therefore may be sold as a dietary supplement in the United States under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, without premarket approval from the FDA.

—Lynne Lamberg, The Journal of the American Medical Association

… batches of a dietary supplement L-tryptophan that have been implicated in a mysterious disease were produced by a genetically engineered organism.

—Leslie Roberts, Science