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

Other Words from supply Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about supply

Keep scrolling for more

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

Bacteria play many crucial roles in human life, from supplying essential nutrients to helping with digestion. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "New Coating Keeps ISS Toilet Door Almost-Bacteria Free," 19 Mar. 2019 The tariffs also hurt Alcoa, the 130-year-old aluminum manufacturer supplying Emeco’s metal. — Diana Budds, Curbed, "How Trump’s tariffs are affecting the furniture industry," 7 Aug. 2018 But while the various scribes supplied the heartfelt speeches, stars like Emily Blunt and John Krasinski provided the major fashion moment. — Keaton Bell, Vogue, "Inside the 2019 Writer's Guild Awards, Where the Winners Surprised and Delighted," 19 Feb. 2019 Netflix has brokered a multi-picture deal with Paramount, with Paramount supplying Netflix with original movies in exchange for a part of the revenue stream, according to the Hollywood Reporter. — Constance Grady, Vox, "Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is getting a sequel," 27 Nov. 2018 Autumn Olive is known for supplying some of the state’s best pork to area restaurants, and their attention to each animal’s wellbeing is extraordinary. — Todd Plummer, Vogue, "Why This Region of Virginia Could Be the South’s New Foodie Hotspot," 29 Jan. 2019 Trump is reported to have supplied Pecker with information the National Enquirer could turn into juicy stories. — Alex Finley - Center For Public Integrity, Vox, "Trump got the National Enquirer to bury his secrets. Did he do the same with Putin?," 21 Dec. 2018 As part of the deal, Volkswagen will supply a fleet of electric cars, Mobileye will handle the self-driving technology, and Champion Motors, Israel’s second largest car importer and distributor, will run fleet management operations. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "Volkswagen, Intel, and Mobileye will launch a self-driving taxi service in Israel in 2019," 29 Oct. 2018 Asthma Asthma screws with the passages that transport air into your lungs to supply your body with oxygen. — Korin Miller, SELF, "When to See a Doctor About That Weird Chest Tightness," 15 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Our supply chain is entirely based in this country. — Mark Holgate, Vogue, "Symonds Pearmain Just Emerged As the Latest Label to Know From London," 16 Feb. 2019 Apple deals in such gargantuan quantities of iPhones that any change to the supply chain—or what comes in the box—has gigantic ripple effects. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "Why the iPhone Won't Dump Lightning for USB-C Even Though the iPad Pro Did," 11 Feb. 2019 Boeing and Airbus will give presentations, including insights into how their supply chains operate. — Seattle Times Business Staff, The Seattle Times, "Monday Memo: T-Mobile CEO Legere testifies in D.C., aerospace conference, Airbus results," 10 Feb. 2019 Jump’s bikes are manufactured in China, but Foley said Uber has more control over its supply chain than other micromobility startups. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "Uber’s new Jump e-bikes are easier to charge and harder to vandalize," 18 Dec. 2018 As Recode’s Jason Del Rey points out, Walker & Company will benefit from Procter & Gamble’s massive research and development ($1.9 billion) and advertising ($7 billion) budgets, as well as its firmer positioning in global supply chains. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, Vox, "Gillette owner Procter & Gamble is acquiring one of its razor startup competitors," 12 Dec. 2018 Just last week, Everlane announced plans to eliminate all virgin plastic from its supply chain by the year 2021. — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Burberry, H&M, L'Oreal and More Sign on to Address Global Plastic Crisis," 29 Oct. 2018 At Banyan Tree, the seasonal menu incorporates Hawaiian ingredients and Kai Café can provide supplies for lunch on the beach, or a hike, or local sightseeing. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Resorts in Hawaii: 2018 Readers' Choice Awards," 9 Oct. 2018 The likelihood of slower growth in Asian economies helped persuade OPEC members and Russia to act at their December meeting to cut their supply by 1.2 millions barrels a day. — Russell Gold, WSJ, "Oil Prices in 2019 May Hinge on U.S.-Iran Showdown," 21 Jan. 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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about supply

Dictionary Entries near supply

Statistics for supply

Last Updated

24 Mar 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for supply

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

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

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