supply

noun

plural supplies

Definition of supply

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : the quantity or amount (as of a commodity) needed or available beer was in short supply in that hot weather— Nevil 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

verb

sup·ply | \ sə-ˈplī

supplied; supplying

Definition of supply (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 [Middle French souploier, alteration of soupplier]

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 supplied — Bulletin 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

supply

Definition of supply (Entry 3 of 3)

less common spelling of supplely

Other Words from supply Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing supply Learn More About supply

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Another growing SaaS challenge stems from third-party apps connected to the company’s core SaaS applications, also known as SaaS-to-SaaS supply chain. — Maor Bin, Forbes, 10 Aug. 2022 Supporters of the bill say the investment will help America avoid future supply chain shortages and bring down the cost of goods in the long-term. — Amy Nakamura, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2022 But ultimately the goal is to bring such code signing to as much of the open source world as possible to make supply chain attacks much more difficult. — Wired, 10 Aug. 2022 An entire supply chain of rare minerals, semiconductors, batteries and financing has to fall into place before Americans give up their combustion engines. — Steven Mufson, Anchorage Daily News, 9 Aug. 2022 The supply chain snags that have elevated prices for cars, furniture, appliances and other goods are easing. — Christopher Rugaber, ajc, 9 Aug. 2022 Flights to Los Angeles and Savannah, Georgia, once planned for this year, have been pushed back to next year — not because of lack of demand, the airline says, but issues in the airplane supply chain. — Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2022 Our supply chain got heavily impacted by covid as a small business as well. — Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 9 Aug. 2022 It is intended to address a nearly two-year global chip shortage that stemmed from supply chain issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. — Gabe Ferris, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb And, maybe, supply some culture to her three young sons. — New York Times, 5 Aug. 2022 This is supposedly the equivalent of the M12, and LG will supply RS-L panels for the iPhone 14 Pro Max. — Chris Smith, BGR, 2 Aug. 2022 Both Russia and Ukraine supply the world with grain, raising the possibility of food insecurity caused by the war. — Paul Best, Fox News, 31 July 2022 Thousands of water systems supply the state’s 39 million people, and about 5% of them have some type of contaminant, such as nitrates or arsenic, in them, according to the audit. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 28 July 2022 The company will also supply up to $1.2 billion of its generic version of the opioid overdose-reversal drug Narcan over 10 years. — Ed Silverman, STAT, 28 July 2022 LG Chem will supply 950,000 tons of CAM to GM beginning the second half of this year through 2030, enough to make five million EVs, GM said. — Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 26 July 2022 LG Chem will supply over 950,000 tons of material during the next eight years . — Tom Krisher, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2022 Porch railings supply an integral part of a home's exterior aesthetic, helping to reinforce a home's style. — Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 July 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'supply.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for supply

Verb

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

Learn More About supply

Dictionary Entries Near supply

supplicavit

supply

supply and demand

Statistics for supply

Last Updated

12 Aug 2022

Cite this Entry

“Supply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supply. Accessed 16 Aug. 2022.

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More Definitions for supply

supply

verb

sup·ply | \ sə-ˈplī

supplied; supplying

Kids Definition of supply

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to provide for : satisfy There is enough to supply the demand.

2 : to make available : furnish The tree supplies shade.

supply

noun

plural supplies

Kids Definition of supply (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the amount of something that is needed or can be gotten medical supplies

2 : store entry 2 sense 3 I keep a supply of pencils in my desk.

3 : the act or process of providing something The company is engaged in the supply of raw materials.

supply

transitive verb

sup·ply | \ sə-ˈplī

supplied; supplying

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