supply

¹

[suh-plahy]

verb (used with object)

supplied, supplying 

1. to furnish or provide (a person, establishment, place, etc.) with what is lacking or requisite.

   to supply someone clothing;

   to supply a community with electricity.

2. to furnish or provide (something wanting or requisite).

   to supply electricity to a community.

3. to make up, compensate for, or satisfy (a deficiency, loss, need, etc.).

   The TVA supplied the need for cheap electricity.

4. to fill or occupy as a substitute, as a vacancy, a pulpit, etc..

   During the summer local clergymen will supply the pulpit.

verb (used without object)

supplied, supplying 

1. to fill the place of another, especially the pulpit of a church, temporarily or as a substitute.

   Who will supply until the new minister arrives?

noun

plural

supplies 

1. the act of supplying, furnishing, providing, satisfying, etc..

   to begin the supply of household help.

2. something that is supplied.

   The storm cut off our water supply.

3. a quantity of something on hand or available, as for use; a stock or store.

   Did you see our new supply of shirts?

4. Usually supplies a provision, stock, or store of food or other things necessary for maintenance.

   to lay in supplies for the winter.

5. Economics.,  the quantity of a commodity that is in the market and available for purchase or that is available for purchase at a particular price.

6. Military.,  supplies,

   1. all items necessary for the equipment, maintenance, and operation of a military command, including food, clothing, arms, ammunition, fuel, materials, and machinery.

   2. procurement, distribution, maintenance, and salvage of supplies.

7. a person who fills a vacancy or takes the place of another, especially temporarily.

8. Obsolete.,  supplies. reinforcement.

9. Obsolete.,  aid.

supply

²

[suhp-lee]

adverb

1. in a supple manner or way; supplely.

supply

¹

/ səˈplaɪ /

verb

1. to furnish with something that is required

   to supply the community with good government

2. (tr; often foll by to or for) to make available or provide (something that is desired or lacking)

   to supply books to the library

3. (tr) to provide for adequately; make good; satisfy

   who will supply their needs?

4. to serve as a substitute, usually temporary, in (another's position, etc)

   there are no clergymen to supply the pulpit

5. (tr) to fill (a vacancy, position, etc)

noun

1. 1. the act of providing or something that is provided

   2. ( as modifier )

      a supply dump

2. (often plural) an amount available for use; stock

3. (plural) food, equipment, etc, needed for a campaign or trip

4. economics

   1. willingness and ability to offer goods and services for sale

   2. the amount of a commodity that producers are willing and able to offer for sale at a specified price Compare demand

5. military

   1. the management and disposal of food and equipment

   2. ( as modifier )

      supply routes

6. (often plural) a grant of money voted by a legislature for government expenses, esp those not covered by other revenues

7. (in Parliament and similar legislatures) the money voted annually for the expenses of the civil service and armed forces

8. 1. a person who acts as a temporary substitute

   2. ( as modifier )

      a supply vicar

9. a source of electrical energy, gas, etc

10. obsolete,  aid or assistance

supply

²

/ ˈsʌplɪ, ˈsʌpəlɪ /

adverb

1. in a supple manner

supply

1. The amount of any given commodity available for sale at a given time.

Other Word Forms

• supplier noun
• suppliable adjective
• unsupplied adjective
• well-supplied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of supply¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb sup(p)lien “to fill up, complete,” from Middle French souplier, soupleer, ultimately from Latin supplēre “to fill up” (equivalent to sup- prefix + plēre “to fill”); noun derivative of the verb; sup- full ¹

Origin of supply²

First recorded in 1525–35; supple + -ly

Word History and Origins

Origin of supply¹

C14: from Old French souppleier, from Latin supplēre to complete, from sub- up + plēre to fill

Idioms and Phrases

see in short supply.

Example Sentences

They helped Montgomery settle on a rock in the sun to warm up, gave him food and electrolytes the Scouts had donated from their supplies and used their Garmin satellite system to summon help.

From Los Angeles Times

Aid workers on donkeys have delivered the first humanitarian supplies to survivors of a landslide that reportedly killed hundreds of people in a remote mountain village in Sudan's western Darfur region.

From BBC

The firm is considering ways to soften the impact of tariffs by adjusting its supply chain and cutting costs, though changes will take time, he told analysts.

From BBC

It means that China has now become "a shining light" for Brazil's coffee exporters, thanks to its growing cafe culture and enormous market, supply chain specialist Hugo Portes told the BBC.

From BBC

Plus, there is a limit to how much steel-making can rely on electric arc furnaces since they currently largely rely on a supply of scrap steel.

From BBC

Related Words

• afford 
• cater 
• contribute 
• deliver 
• equip 
• feed 
• fill 
• find 
• grant 
• hand over 
• produce 
• store 
• transfer 
• turn over 
• yield 

When To Use

What is a basic definition of supply?

The word supply is used as a verb to mean to provide something. As a noun, supply refers to a stockpile or quantity of something. Supply has several other senses as a verb or a noun.As a verb, supply means to give something. You might supply something in response to a request for that item, as when a clothing factory supplies a department store with new clothes in return for money. You might supply something that satisfies a need, as when plants supply us with oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Or you might supply something in order to make up for a deficiency, as when a food pantry supplies food for hungry people.

• Real-life examples: A hydroelectric dam can supply a city with electricity. Soup kitchens supply impoverished people with food. Nature often supplies water and sunlight to plants.



• Used in a sentence: The teacher supplied pencils and paper to the students.

As a noun, supply means an amount of something that has been stored up or stockpiled. For example, almost everyone keeps a supply of food in their house. The plural of supply is supplies and is used when more than one type of thing is being stored.

• Real-life examples: Hospitals keep a supply of blood to use for emergencies. It is a good idea to keep an ample supply of toilet paper so you never run out. Soldiers are often given a lot of supplies to carry with them in case of problems.



• Used in a sentence: The grocery story was running low on its supply of milk.