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

Experts attribute the interruptions to supply chain disruptions and a surge in demand, tied in part to panic buying. —April 2, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026

And upending the global supply chain has proven costly for businesses and households that are already strained by rising prices. —ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026

The new restrictions, along with cooperation from allies to implement similar rules, would likely curtail China’s ability to build a fully domestic AI supply chain. —Jared Perlo, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026

According to the company, supply chain investments are expected to peak in 2026 and 2027. —Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2026

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