supply

1 of 3

noun

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

sup·​ply sə-ˈplī 

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.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Home sales have dropped this year, as high prices, high borrowing costs and a low supply of available homes have combined to send potential buyers to the sidelines. —Catherine Allen, NBC News, 23 Nov. 2023

On the other hand, the technology behind the tankless models allows for an endless supply of hot water. —Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Nov. 2023

Both benchmarks rose over 2% on Monday, as expectations of further supply cuts from Saudi Arabia and Russia as well as a weaker dollar helped propel prices, according to ING. —WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023

Patients can receive 90 days’ worth of supplies and medications at once. —Angela Hart, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Nov. 2023

This very slow rollout of legal dispensaries has created a vacuum in the supply of safe and tested cannabis products. —Stu Zakim, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2023

The crisis has forced supermarkets to put their olive oil supplies under lock and key just to prevent it from being stolen. —Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 20 Nov. 2023

In recent days, fighting near Shifa and other hospitals in the combat zone of northern Gaza has intensified and supplies have run out. —CBS News, 11 Nov. 2023

Rocket Lab announced Wednesday that engineers have determined the failure of the company's most recent Electron rocket flight in September was likely caused by an unexpected electrical arc occurring within the upper stage's power supply system. —Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 10 Nov. 2023

Verb

The suede exterior combined with the chain detail across the upper keeps style front and center while still supplying comfort with its cushioned footbed. —Ali Faccenda, Travel + Leisure, 21 Nov. 2023

Kinloch Anderson supplies fine kilts, kilt accessories, Scottish tartans, luxury clothing, and gifts. —Ross Kenneth Urken, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Nov. 2023

Here are some other ideas that organizers say are always helpful: School supplies Over the holiday break, families will be stocking up on expensive back-to-school items, says Levato. —Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 17 Nov. 2023

If Ukraine had been supplied with enough military support to control its airspace early on, Penn argues, the war that began with Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion last year could have been ended by now. —Will Tizard, Variety, 17 Nov. 2023

Customers only pay the costs of supplying it, not for the water itself. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Nov. 2023

Wind and solar power are intermittent, whereas coal plants supply electricity around the clock, day in and day out. —William F. Shughart Ii, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023

Earlier this year, amid American allegations that South Africa had supplied arms to Russia, the U.S. rebuked the government for hosting Russian and Chinese vessels for naval exercises. —James Myburgh, National Review, 15 Nov. 2023

Israeli soldiers patrol the Al-Shifa hospital complex in Gaza City in images the Israeli military supplied Wednesday. —Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2023

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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

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

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

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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