supply

1 of 3

noun

sup·​ply sə-ˈplī 

plural supplies

1

a

: 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

2 of 3

verb

supplied; supplying

transitive verb

1

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

supplier

sə-ˈplī(-ə)r 

noun

supply

3 of 3

less common spelling of supplely

Synonyms

Noun

• budget
• force
• fund
• inventory
• pool
• repertoire
• reservoir
• stock

Verb

• accoutre
• accouter
• equip
• fit (out)
• furnish
• gird
• kit (up or out) [chiefly British]
• outfit
• provision
• rig

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Bring along as much food and water for pets as possible, as well as dishes for each; the Animal Health Foundation suggests about a week's supply of food. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 3 May 2025

Yell and the regiment were tasked with ensuring that the army's supplies were transported to the new camp, but after Mexican forces fired upon the Arkansans, Yell burned the supplies that had not yet been removed and retreated after the rest of the army to Buena Vista. —Arkansas Online, 3 May 2025

Verb

Brembo supplies the braking, and the new 700 boasts adjustable preload, rebound, and compression. —New Atlas, 26 Apr. 2025

His four-year contract also supplies long-term depth. —Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

derivative of supply entry 2

Verb

Middle English supplien "to fill up, accomplish, discharge (an office)," borrowed from Middle French soupplier "to add what is lacking to" (also souppleer, suploier "to make up for [a lack, deficiency]," suppleer a, soupplir "to replace"), going back to Latin supplēre "to fill up, complete, raise (a military unit, crew) to its full complement, make good a deficiency in," from sub- sub- + plēre "to fill" — more at full entry 1

Note: Though the French verb receives its semantic start with Latin supplēre, none of the great variety of formal outcomes appear to be directly traceable to it. Variants such as suploier and soupplier have evidently been crossed with outcomes of supplicāre "to sue for forgiveness, supplicate" (see also suppliant entry 1). The form suppleer, which may be directly behind Modern French suppléer, appears to have been both latinized (after supplēre) and conformed to verbs such as créer. The variant soupplir suggests the general Romance re-formation *supplīre (compare Old Occitan and Spanish suplir, Italian sopperire).

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Phrases Containing supply

• in short supply
• law of supply and demand
• money supply
• supply and demand
• supply chain
• supply line
• supply-side
• supply-side economics
• supply teacher
• the money supply
• water supply

Rhymes for supply

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny

Kids Definition

supply

1 of 2 verb

sup·​ply sə-ˈplī 

supplied; supplying

1

: to add as a supplement

2

a

: to provide for : satisfy

enough to supply the demand

b

: to make available for use

supplied the necessary money

c

: to satisfy the needs or wishes of

supplier

-ˈplī(-ə)r 

noun

supply

2 of 2 noun

plural supplies

1

a

: the quantity or amount of something that is needed or available

the nation's oil supply

b

: store entry 2 sense 1b

—usually used in plural

2

: the act or process of filling a want or need

3

: the quantities of goods or services offered for sale at a particular time or at one price

Medical Definition

supply

transitive verb

sup·​ply sə-ˈplī 

supplied; supplying

: 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