Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense supplies, present participle supplying, past tense, past participle supplied
1. verb
If you supply someone with something that they want or need, you give them a quantity of it.
...an agreement not to produce or supply chemical weapons. [VERB noun]
Tourist offices will supply you with a free basic street map. [VERB noun + with]
...the blood vessels supplying oxygen to the brain. [VERB noun + to]
Synonyms: provide, give, furnish, produce More Synonyms of supply
2. plural noun [oft noun NOUN]
You can use supplies to refer to food, equipment, and other essential things that people need, especially when these are provided in large quantities.
What happens when food and gasoline supplies run low?
The country's only supplies are those it can import by lorry from Vietnam.
3. variable noun [noun NOUN]
A supplyof something is an amount of it which someone has or which is available for them touse.
The brain requires a constant supply of oxygen. [+ of]
Most urban water supplies in the country now contain fluoride.
Synonyms: store, fund, stock, source More Synonyms of supply
4. uncountable noun
Supply is the quantity of goods and services that can be made available for people to buy.
[business]
Prices change according to supply and demand.
Synonyms: supplying, provision, distribution, sending out More Synonyms of supply
5. verb
If you supply a missing word or piece of information, for example in a puzzle, you say or write it because you know it.
Supply the missing word(s) and you could win a T-shirt. [VERB noun]
6.
See in short supply
More Synonyms of supply
supply in British English1
(səˈplaɪ)
verbWord forms: -plies, -plying or -plied
1. (transitive; often foll bywith)
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. (transitive)
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 ministers to supply the pulpit
5. (transitive) British
to fill (a vacancy, position, etc)
nounWord forms: plural-plies
6.
a.
the act of providing or something that is provided
b.
(as modifier)
a supply dump
7. (often plural)
an amount available for use; stock
8. (plural)
food, equipment, etc, needed for a campaign or trip
9. economics
a.
willingness and ability to offer goods and services for sale
b.
the amount of a commodity that producers are willing and able to offer for sale at a specified price
Compare demand (sense 9)
10. military
a.
the management and disposal of food and equipment
b.
(as modifier)
supply routes
11. (often plural)
a grant of money voted by a legislature for government expenses, esp those not covered by other revenues
12.
(in Parliament and similar legislatures) the money voted annually for the expenses of the civil service and armed forces
13.
a.
a person who acts as a temporary substitute
b.
(as modifier)
a supply vicar
14.
a source of electrical energy, gas, etc
15. obsolete
aid or assistance
Derived forms
suppliable (supˈpliable)
adjective
supplier (supˈplier)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French souppleier, from Latin supplēre to complete, from sub- up + plēre to fill
supply in British English2
(ˈsʌplɪ) or supplely (ˈsʌpəlɪ)
adverb
in a supple manner
supply in American English1
(səˈplaɪ)
verb transitiveWord forms: supˈplied or supˈplying
1.
to give, furnish, or provide (what is needed or wanted)
to supply tools to workers
2.
to meet the needs or requirements of; furnish, provide, or equip with what is needed or wanted
to supply workers with tools
3.
to compensate for; make good
to supply a deficiency
4.
to act as a substitute in; fill or serve in temporarily
to supply another's pulpit
verb intransitive
5.
to serve as a temporary substitute
nounWord forms: pluralsupˈplies
6.
the act of supplying
7.
an amount or quantity available for use; stock; store
8. [pl.]
materials, provisions, etc. for supplying an army, expedition, a business, etc.; sometimes, specif., provisions for an army other than materiel, vehicles, etc.
9. [often pl.] Chiefly British
an amount of money granted for government expenses; appropriation
10.
a temporary substitute, as for a minister
11. Obsolete
a.
aid; assistance
b.
reinforcements
12. Economics
the amount of a commodity available for purchase at a given price
see also demand
adjective
13.
having to do with a supply or supplies
14.
serving as a substitute
Derived forms
supplier (supˈplier)
noun
Word origin
ME supplyen < MFr supplier < L supplere, to fill up < sub-, sub- + plere, to fill: see full1
An electrical supply is a source of electrical energy.
When a direct current supply is connected to the conductor, it is seen to move.
In the event of a fault isolate the mains supply before attempting to open the unit.
An electrical supply is a source of electrical energy.
power supply, uninterruptible power supply
Examples of 'supply' in a sentence
supply
And that comes only from a constant supply of positive encouragement.
Christianity Today (2000)
This was hardly the stuff of money supply or macroeconomic forecasts.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The crisis in our energy supply has been flagged up for years.
The Sun (2013)
We are also not being denied the entertainment supplied by the buying feats of the international wealthy.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The aircraft will be used to transport heavy equipment and supplies quickly to troops.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Sound demographics and supply constraints still provide underpinning.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The vexed question of supplying arms has also featured ominously.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Increasing demand is combining with very low supply to drive robust underlying house price growth.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He admits that there are justifiable concerns over the supply of imported biomass.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
This was due to a short supply of available homes.
The Sun (2016)
They are flexible and offer good security of supply.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
This could result in the disturbance of the nerves or blood supply that runs through the vertebrae.
Campbell, Eileen & Brennan, J. H. Dictionary of Mind, Body and Spirit (1994)
Police also cut the gas and electricity supply to the apartment.
The Sun (2012)
Thus the blood supply to the legs grows sluggish.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But it was downhill from then onwards and a poor supply line only made matters worse.
The Sun (2012)
We now supply real ale to our family pubs and local outlets.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The truly superior performer is always in short supply.
A Conceptual View of Human Resource Management: Strategic Objectives, Environments,Functions
The work includes fitting emergency oxygen supplies in case crew members are found to be pregnant.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Steps were also taken to ensure there will be enough supplies around the country.
The Sun (2008)
They were short of essential supplies and were continually subject to aerial bombardment.
Stewart, Bob (Lt-Col) Broken Lives (1993)
But food supplies are running low.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Often the opportunity to move expired 90 days before the end of a supply agreement.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
supply
British English: supply /səˈplaɪ/ NOUN
A supply of something is an amount of it which is available for use. If something is in short supply, there is very little of it available.
The brain requires a constant supply of oxygen.
American English: supply
Arabic: إِمْدَاد
Brazilian Portuguese: fornecimento
Chinese: 供应
Croatian: opskrba
Czech: zásobování
Danish: forsyning
Dutch: voorraad
European Spanish: suministro
Finnish: tavaran toimitus
French: réserve
German: Lieferung
Greek: παροχή
Italian: fornitura
Japanese: 供給
Korean: 공급
Norwegian: forsyning
Polish: zaopatrzenie
European Portuguese: fornecimento
Romanian: rezervă
Russian: снабжение
Latin American Spanish: suministro
Swedish: leverans
Thai: สิ่งที่จัดหาให้
Turkish: tedarik
Ukrainian: постачання
Vietnamese: sự cung cấp
British English: supply /səˈplaɪ/ VERB
If you supply someone with something, you provide them with it.
This pipeline will supply the city with gas.
American English: supply
Arabic: يُزَوِّدُ
Brazilian Portuguese: fornecer
Chinese: 供应
Croatian: opskrbiti
Czech: dodat zásobovat
Danish: forsyne
Dutch: leveren
European Spanish: suministrar abastecer
Finnish: toimittaa hankintoja ym.
French: fournir provisions
German: liefern
Greek: προμηθεύω
Italian: fornire
Japanese: 供給する
Korean: 공급하다
Norwegian: forsyne
Polish: dostarczyć
European Portuguese: fornecer
Romanian: a furniza
Russian: снабжать
Latin American Spanish: suministrar
Swedish: tillhandahålla
Thai: จัดหา
Turkish: tedarik etmek
Ukrainian: постачати
Vietnamese: cung cấp
All related terms of 'supply'
supply line
A supply line is a route along which goods and equipment are transported to an army during a war .
supply ship
a ship that provides essential food and equipment to other ships or to offshore oil platforms
supply-side
designating or of a theory that economic growth can be achieved by stimulating investment , with the money for investment coming chiefly through tax reductions
blood supply
the flow of blood to different parts of the body
excess supply
a situation in which the market supply of a commodity is greater than the market demand for it, thus causing its market price to fall
labour supply
the total number of hours that workers are willing and able to be paid wages to work for
mains supply
electricity , water, or gas supplied to a building through wires or pipes
money supply
The money supply is the total amount of money in a country's economy at any one time.
power supply
a source of power, such as the mains or a generator
supply chain
a channel of distribution beginning with the supplier of materials or components , extending through a manufacturing process to the distributor and retailer, and ultimately to the consumer
supply-sider
one who advocates or puts into practice supply-side economic theory
water supply
The water supply in an area is the water which is collected and passed through pipes to buildings for people to use.
supply shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
supply teacher
A supply teacher is a teacher whose job is to take the place of other teachers at different schools when they are unable to be there.
aggregate supply
the total supply of goods and services produced by a national economy in a specified time period, at a specified price level
supply information
Information about someone or something consists of facts about them.
supply management
the methods and processes involved in corporate buying , such as the purchasing of goods and raw materials, and the contracting of services
in short supply
If something is in short supply , there is very little of it available and it is difficult to find or obtain.
supply an address
Your address is the number of the house, flat, or apartment and the name of the street and the town where you live or work.
supply and demand
the relationship between the availability of goods and services and how much of them people want . Used esp to relate to the impact of this relationship on price levels
sup
If you sup something, you drink it, especially by taking small amounts.
confidence and supply
denoting an arrangement in a hung parliament in which an opposition party agrees not to vote against a minority government in votes of confidence or budgetary matters but reserves the right to oppose other legislation
supply-side economics
a school of economic thought that emphasizes the importance to a strong economy of policies that remove impediments to supply
uninterruptible power supply
An uninterruptible power supply is a system where there is a back-up supply.
law of supply and demand
the theory that prices are determined by the interaction of supply and demand : an increase in supply will lower prices if not accompanied by increased demand, and an increase in demand will raise prices unless accompanied by increased supply
Chinese translation of 'supply'
supply
(səˈplaɪ)
vt
(= provide) 提供 (tígōng)
(Comm, = deliver) 送货(貨) (sònghuò)
n
(c/u) (= stock) 供应(應)量 (gōngyìngliàng)
(u) (= supplying) 供应(應) (gōngyìng)
to supply sth to sb为(為)某人提供某物 (wèi mǒurén tígōng mǒuwù)
to supply sb/sth with sth为(為)某人/某物提供某物 (wèi mǒurén/mǒuwù tígōng mǒuwù)
it comes supplied with an adaptor内(內)含变(變)压(壓)器 (nèi hán biànyāqì)
food is in short supply食品供应(應)不足 (shípǐn gōngyìng bùzú)
the electricity/gas supply电(電)力/煤气(氣)供应(應) (diànlì/méiqì gōngyìng)
supply and demand (Econ) 供求 (gōngqiú)
Derived Forms
suppliesn pl
(= food) 供给(給) (gōngjǐ)
(Mil) 军(軍)需品 (jūnxūpǐn)
All related terms of 'supply'
supply and demand
( Econ ) 供求 gōngqiú
to supply sth to sb
为(為)某人提供某物 wèi mǒurén tígōng mǒuwù
food is in short supply
食品供应(應)不足 shípǐn gōngyìng bùzú
the electricity/gas supply
电(電)力/煤气(氣)供应(應) diànlì/méiqì gōngyìng
to supply sb/sth with sth
为(為)某人/某物提供某物 wèi mǒurén/mǒuwù tígōng mǒuwù
1 (verb)
Definition
to provide with something required
an agreement to supply the library with new computers
Synonyms
provide
The summit will provide an opportunity for discussions on the crisis.
give
This recipe was given to me years ago.
They still give to charity despite hard economic times.
furnish
produce
The plant produces sweet fruit with deep red flesh.
stock
I worked stocking shelves in a grocery store.
store
grant
afford
The room afforded fine views of the city.
contribute
They say they would like to contribute more to charity.
yield
400,000 acres of land yielded a crop worth $1.75 billion.
come up with
outfit
Homes can be outfitted with security lights for a few hundred dollars.
endow
The ambassador has endowed a public-service fellowship programme.
purvey
two restaurants that purvey Indonesian food
victual
2 (verb)
Definition
to provide with something required
a pipeline which will supply the city with natural gas
Synonyms
furnish
Many proprietors try to furnish their hotels with antiques.
provide
I will be happy to provide you with a copy of the report.
They did not provide any food.
equip
The country did not have the funds to equip the reserve army properly.
serve
Serve it with French bread.
endow
3 (verb)
a society that looks to the government to supply their needs
Synonyms
meet
The current arrangements are inadequate to meet our needs.
provide for
fill
I fill the shelves in a supermarket until 12pm.
satisfy
The procedures should satisfy certain basic requirements.
fulfil
All the necessary conditions were fulfilled.
be adequate for
cater to or for
1 (noun)
Definition
an amount available for use
The brain requires a constant supply of oxygen.
Synonyms
store
I handed over my store of chocolate biscuits.
fund
He has an extraordinary fund of energy.
stock
a stock of food and other rations
source
reserve
The country's reserves of petrol are running very low.
quantity
reservoir
the body's short-term reservoir of energy
stockpile
stockpiles of chemical weapons
hoard
a hoard of silver and jewels
cache
A cache of weapons and explosives was found by the police.
2 (noun)
Definition
the act of providing something
Prices have changed according to supply and demand.
Synonyms
supplying
provision
the provision of military supplies to the Khmer Rouge
distribution
There will be a widespread distribution of leaflets.
sending out
furnishing
dissemination
the dissemination of scientific ideas
(plural noun)
Definition
food and equipment needed for a trip or military campaign
The country's only supplies are those it can import by lorry.
Synonyms
provisions
necessities
stores
food
materials
items
equipment
rations
foodstuff
provender
Additional synonyms
in the sense of afford
Definition
to give or supply
The room afforded fine views of the city.
Synonyms
give,
offer,
provide,
produce,
supply,
grant,
yield,
render,
furnish,
bestow,
impart
in the sense of cache
Definition
a hidden store of weapons, provisions, or treasure
A cache of weapons and explosives was found by the police.
Synonyms
store,
fund,
supply,
reserve,
treasury,
accumulation,
stockpile,
hoard,
stash (informal)
in the sense of contribute
Definition
to give (support or money) for a common purpose or fund
They say they would like to contribute more to charity.
Synonyms
give,
provide,
supply,
donate,
furnish,
subscribe,
chip in (informal),
bestow
Synonyms of 'supply'
supply
Explore 'supply' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dissemination
the dissemination of scientific ideas
Synonyms
spread,
publishing,
broadcasting,
publication,
distribution,
circulation,
diffusion,
propagation,
promulgation
in the sense of distribution
There will be a widespread distribution of leaflets.
Synonyms
spreading,
circulation,
diffusion,
scattering,
propagation,
dissemination,
dispersal,
dispersion
in the sense of endow
Definition
to provide with a source of permanent income, esp. by leaving money in a will
The ambassador has endowed a public-service fellowship programme.
Synonyms
finance,
fund,
pay for,
award,
grant,
invest in,
confer,
settle on,
bestow,
make over,
bequeath,
purvey,
donate money to
in the sense of equip
Definition
to provide with supplies, components, etc.
The country did not have the funds to equip the reserve army properly.
Synonyms
supply,
provide,
stock,
dress,
outfit,
arm,
rig,
array,
furnish,
endow,
attire,
fit out,
deck out,
kit out,
fit up,
accoutre
in the sense of fill
Definition
to make or become full
I fill the shelves in a supermarket until 12pm.
Synonyms
stock,
supply,
store,
pack,
load,
furnish,
replenish
in the sense of fulfil
Definition
to satisfy (demands or conditions)
All the necessary conditions were fulfilled.
Synonyms
comply with,
meet,
fill,
satisfy,
observe,
obey,
conform to,
answer
in the sense of fund
Definition
a supply or store of something
He has an extraordinary fund of energy.
Synonyms
store,
stock,
source,
supply,
mine,
reserve,
treasury,
vein,
reservoir,
accumulation,
hoard,
repository
in the sense of give
Definition
to present or hand (something) to someone
This recipe was given to me years ago.They still give to charity despite hard economic times.
Synonyms
present,
contribute,
donate,
provide,
supply,
award,
grant,
deliver,
commit,
administer,
furnish,
confer,
bestow,
entrust,
consign,
make over,
hand over or out
in the sense of hoard
Definition
a store of money, food, etc., hidden away for future use
a hoard of silver and jewels
Synonyms
store,
fund,
supply,
reserve,
mass,
pile,
heap,
fall-back,
accumulation,
stockpile,
stash,
cache,
treasure-trove
in the sense of outfit
Homes can be outfitted with security lights for a few hundred dollars.
Synonyms
equip,
stock,
supply,
turn out,
appoint,
provision,
furnish,
fit out,
deck out,
kit out,
fit up,
accoutre
Additional synonyms
in the sense of produce
The plant produces sweet fruit with deep red flesh.
Synonyms
yield,
provide,
grow,
bear,
give,
supply,
afford,
render,
furnish
in the sense of provision
Definition
the act of supplying something
the provision of military supplies to the Khmer Rouge
Synonyms
supplying,
giving,
providing,
supply,
delivery,
distribution,
catering,
presentation,
equipping,
furnishing,
allocation,
fitting out,
purveying,
accoutrement
in the sense of purvey
Definition
to sell or provide (foodstuffs)
two restaurants that purvey Indonesian food
Synonyms
supply,
provide,
sell,
retail,
provision,
cater,
trade in,
deal in,
furnish,
victual
in the sense of reserve
Definition
something kept back or set aside for future use
The country's reserves of petrol are running very low.
Synonyms
store,
fund,
savings,
stock,
capital,
supply,
reservoir,
fall-back,
stockpile,
hoard,
backlog,
cache
in the sense of reservoir
Definition
a large supply of something
the body's short-term reservoir of energy
Synonyms
store,
stock,
source,
supply,
reserves,
fund,
pool,
accumulation,
stockpile
in the sense of satisfy
Definition
to provide sufficiently for (a need or desire)
The procedures should satisfy certain basic requirements.
Synonyms
comply with,
meet,
fulfil,
answer,
serve,
fill,
observe,
obey,
conform to,
measure up to,
match up to
in the sense of serve
Definition
to provide (food or drink) for customers
Serve it with French bread.
Synonyms
present,
provide,
supply,
deliver,
arrange,
set out,
distribute,
dish up,
purvey
in the sense of stock
Definition
to supply (a farm) with animals or (a lake or stream) with fish
I worked stocking shelves in a grocery store.
Synonyms
fill,
supply,
provide with,
provision,
equip,
furnish,
fit out,
kit out
in the sense of stock
Definition
a supply of something stored for future use
a stock of food and other rations
Synonyms
supply,
store,
reserve,
fund,
reservoir,
stockpile,
hoard,
cache
in the sense of stockpile
Definition
a large store gathered for future use
stockpiles of chemical weapons
Synonyms
stock,
store,
reserve,
bank,
supply,
collection,
pool,
arsenal,
accumulation,
hoard,
cache
Additional synonyms
in the sense of yield
Definition
to give as a return
400,000 acres of land yielded a crop worth $1.75 billion.