supply chain

noun

plural supply chains

: the chain of processes, businesses, etc. by which a commodity is produced and distributed : the companies, materials, and systems involved in manufacturing and delivering goods

The pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of the global supply chain—that's the usually invisible pathway of manufacturing, transportation and logistics that gets goods from where they are manufactured, mined or grown to where they are going. At the end of the chain is another company or a consumer who has paid for the finished product.

—Peter S. Goodman

Everyday life in the United States is acutely dependent on the perpetual motion of the supply chain, in which food and medicine and furniture and clothing all compete for many of the same logistical resources. … [W]hen a finite supply of packaging can't keep up with demand, when there aren't enough longshoremen or truck drivers or postal workers, when a container ship gets wedged sideways in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes—the effects ripple outward for weeks or months, emptying shelves and raising prices in ways that can seem random. All of a sudden, you can't buy kettlebells or canned seltzer.

—Amanda Mull

Examples of supply chain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With natural, biodegradable, and inexpensive components, such batteries could one day provide an eco-friendly alternative for powering homes or small devices without relying on toxic metals or complex supply chains. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025

All of which begs the question, can—and should—Europe use the once-in-a-generation opportunity presented by decarbonization to reboot its own renewables supply chain, creating green jobs and sustainable wealth for the future? —Andrew Saunders, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2025

Global brands are bound by emerging due-diligence frameworks such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Directive and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to ensure that the factories in their supply chains respect workers’ right to organize. —Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025

Fēlthos is a regenerated noble felt crafted via an upcycling process, made from textile surplus of premium virgin materials from the luxury supply chain. —Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supply chain

• aeroplane
• appertain
• ascertain
• capitaine
• cassegrain
• cellophane
• chatelaine
• counterpane
• entertain
• gethsemane
• halothane
• hurricane