View synonyms for supply

supply

[ suh-plahy ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

, sup·plied, sup·ply·ing.

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.
to furnish or provide (something wanting or requisite):
to supply electricity to a community.
to make up, compensate for, or satisfy (a deficiency, loss, need, etc.):
The TVA supplied the need for cheap electricity.
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)

, sup·plied, sup·ply·ing.

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 sup·plies.

the act of supplying, furnishing, providing, satisfying, etc.:
to begin the supply of household help.
something that is supplied:
The storm cut off our water supply.
a quantity of something on hand or available, as for use; a stock or store:
Did you see our new supply of shirts?
Usually supplies. a provision, stock, or store of food or other things necessary for maintenance:
to lay in supplies for the winter.
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.
supplies, Military.
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.
a person who fills a vacancy or takes the place of another, especially temporarily.
supplies. Obsolete. reinforcement ( def 4 ).
Obsolete. aid.

supply

[ suhp-lee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adverb

in a supple manner or way; supplely.

supply

/ ˈsʌpəlɪ; ˈsʌplɪ /

adverb

in a supple manner

supply

/ səˈplaɪ /

verb

troften foll bywith to furnish with something that is required
to supply the community with good government
tr; often foll by to or for to make available or provide (something that is desired or lacking)
to supply books to the library
tr to provide for adequately; make good; satisfy
who will supply their needs?
to serve as a substitute, usually temporary, in (another's position, etc)
there are no clergymen to supply the pulpit
tr to fill (a vacancy, position, etc)

noun

1. the act of providing or something that is provided
2. ( as modifier )
  a supply dump
often plural an amount available for use; stock
plural food, equipment, etc, needed for a campaign or trip
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
military
1. the management and disposal of food and equipment
2. ( as modifier )
  supply routes
often plural a grant of money voted by a legislature for government expenses, esp those not covered by other revenues
(in Parliament and similar legislatures) the money voted annually for the expenses of the civil service and armed forces
1. a person who acts as a temporary substitute
2. ( as modifier )
  a supply vicar
a source of electrical energy, gas, etc
obsolete.
aid or assistance

supply

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

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Derived Forms

supˈplier, noun
supˈpliable, adjective

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Other Words From

sup·plier noun
unsup·plied adjective
well-sup·plied adjective

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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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of supply¹

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

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Idioms and Phrases

see in short supply .

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Example Sentences

Fluoride first entered an American water supply through a rather inelegant technocratic scheme.

From The Daily Beast

But the qualities Mario Cuomo brought to public life—compassion, integrity, commitment to principle—remain in short supply today.

From The Daily Beast

If you answered seven or more of these correctly, you are eligible for a lifetime supply of Metamucil.

From The Daily Beast

In Mosul, foreign fighters have left, the city is flooded with refugees and supply routes are cut off.

From The Daily Beast

It would seek to cut off the main Allied lines of supply and communication.

From The Daily Beast

First, how about the expansibility needed to supply adequate funds for crop-moving?

From Project Gutenberg

What course was taken to supply that assembly when any noble family became extinct?

From Project Gutenberg

You see, I am the city undertaker, and the people are dying here so fast, that I can hardly supply the demand for coffins.

From Project Gutenberg

Almost one-quarter of the total supply printed has been placed in circulation.

From Project Gutenberg

The increased volume of the supply thus produced inevitably forces down the price till it sinks to the point of cost.

From Project Gutenberg

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

supplication supply and demand

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