supply

verb

sup·ply | \ sə-ˈplī

supplied; supplying

Definition of supply

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 (such 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

supply

noun

plural supplies

Definition of supply (Entry 2 of 2)

1 obsolete : assistance, succor

2a 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

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Examples of supply in a Sentence

Verb

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

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Llanas did not supply any drugs or know of her addiction, Tessa Neumann said. — Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "BoDeans' Kurt Neumann, stepdaughter accuse former band member Sam Llanas of molestation," 11 June 2018 Oldham's critics note that Ginsburg supplied the committee with thousands of pages of her writings as a law teacher and lawyer and opinions from her time on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. — CNN, "More fireworks in store on Capitol Hill for Trump's judicial nominees," 17 May 2018 Electricity is supplied for roughly four hours a day, unemployment stands at more than 50 percent and tap water is undrinkable. — Aron Heller, The Seattle Times, "Gaza rocket hits home in Israel, military strikes back," 17 Oct. 2018 For example, the Netherlands is a customer of the F-35 fighter jet, which requires replacement parts, maintenance and expertise that can be supplied by Connecticut manufacturers. — Stephen Singer, courant.com, "Connecticut Manufacturers Join State At UK Aerospace Trade Show," 14 July 2018 The problem deserves a solution on a more vast scale than can be supplied by a district judge or jury in a public nuisance case. — Anne C. Mulkern, Scientific American, "Judge Accepts Climate Science, But Tosses Suits Against Oil Companies," 26 June 2018 Mario de la Ossa, energy specialist at Orbital Insight, said those stores are likely to keep building since the next-largest importers of Venezuelan crude, China and India, are already well supplied. — Stephanie Yang, WSJ, "Venezuelan Oil Supplies Hit Five-Year High as Buyers Become Elusive," 21 Feb. 2019 However, it should be noted that Olixar has not supplied case images for the S10 Lite and S10 Plus at this time, only phone renders, so details may be less solid with those models. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "Samsung Galaxy S10 renders show hole-punch camera, headphone jack, and no fingerprint sensor," 13 Dec. 2018 French magazine Telerama and human right groups reported last year on suspicions that a French company had supplied surveillance equipment the Egyptian government used for political repression. — Washington Post, "Human rights group denounce France’s military sales to Egypt," 1 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

That's thanks to its hybrid configuration that allows the engine to shut down without interrupting a steady supply of electricity to keep all the vital communication tech features working. — Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver, "2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility Hybrid AWD Saves Fuel, Hauls Ass," 17 May 2019 That's why Reynolds Kitchens is now offering spa giftcards loaded with $399 on them for just $3.99 this Mother's Day—the same price as their Quick Cut Plastic Wrap—but act fast, because there's a limited supply. — Elizabeth Gulino, House Beautiful, "Reynolds Kitchens is Giving Away $399 Spa Gift Cards For $3.99 This Mother’s Day," 30 Apr. 2019 The scooter users logged more than 801,000 miles during the trial run, with an average trip length of 1.2 miles and a supply of roughly 2,000 devices on the streets for much of the period. — Andrew Theen, The Seattle Times, "E-scooters may return April 26, Portland says, with new rules to curb sidewalk riding," 25 Mar. 2019 Having spent yesterday at the Commonwealth Day service with the rest of the fab four, Kate’s week continues to be full of engagements—and that means a very pleasing supply of lovely outfits. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Kate Middleton's Gucci Bow Blouse and High-Waisted Trousers Will Inspire Your Workwear," 12 Mar. 2019 Bernadette has a seemingly endless supply of disposable income, which is matched by her inability to get anything done. — Mickey Rapkin, Town & Country, "How Does a Virtual Personal Assistant Work, Anyway?," 28 Feb. 2019 The city, situated amid forestland that offered a healthy supply of timber, saw its first surge of furniture-making in the 17th century, when English makers settled there and continued their craft in a new homeland. — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "A Tiny North Carolina Town You've Never Heard of Makes Most of America's Furniture," 27 Mar. 2019 Now, why would there be a benefit to creating a supply of children to be adopted by Christian, heterosexual families? — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "The U.S. Is Tracking Migrant Girls' Periods to Stop Them From Getting Abortions," 2 Apr. 2019 Tampons and pads are medical supplies, and women deserve to receive adequate care while they're incarcerated, plain and simple. — Glamour, "Politician Votes Against Access to Pads and Tampons in Prison Because It’s Not ‘a Country Club’," 20 Mar. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

19 May 2019

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

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More Definitions for supply

supply

verb

English Language Learners Definition of supply

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to make (something) available to be used : to provide someone or something with (something that is needed or wanted)

supply

noun

English Language Learners Definition of supply (Entry 2 of 2)

: the amount of something that is available to be used

: things (such as food, equipment, fuel, etc.) that are needed for a particular purpose and that will be used by a particular person or group

: the process or system by which something is provided to a person, place, etc.

See the full definition for supply in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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