What does "supply" mean?
The act of supplying.
Supply
/səˈplaɪ/ adv, noun, verb
adv, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of supplying.
- Grammar: supply is listed as adv, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: provision, ability, accommodate, accommodate with.
- Useful contrasts: bereft, conceal, consume.
- Usage evidence: The supply cannot keep up with the demand.
How to use "supply"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "supply" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "supply" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "supply" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "supply" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "supply" is acting as adv, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "provision" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "supply", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of supplying. uncountable
- 2 the activity of supplying or providing something wordnet
- 3 An amount of something supplied. countable
"A supply of good drinking water is essential."
- 4 offering goods and services for sale wordnet
- 5 The market force that causes sellers to be both willing and able to sell a good or service, as measured by the amount of that good or service that is currently available to be bought at any given price point; the amount itself. countable, uncountable
"Supply and demand ebb and flow in a complex interplay."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 an amount of something available for use wordnet
- 7 Provisions. countable, in-plural, uncountable
"They are busy laying in supplies for the coming winter."
- 8 An amount of money provided, as by Parliament or Congress, to meet the annual national expenditures. countable, in-plural, uncountable
"to vote supplies"
- 9 Somebody, such as a teacher or clergyman, who temporarily fills the place of another; a substitute. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To provide (something), to make (something) available for use. transitive
"to supply money for the war"
- 2 state or say further wordnet
- 3 To furnish or equip with. transitive
"to supply a furnace with fuel; to supply soldiers with ammunition"
- 4 give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance wordnet
- 5 To fill up, or keep full. transitive
"Rivers are supplied by smaller streams."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 give something useful or necessary to wordnet
- 7 To compensate for, or make up a deficiency of. transitive
"It was objected against him that he had never experienced love. Whereupon he arose, left the society, and made it a point not to return to it until he considered that he had supplied the defect."
- 8 circulate or distribute or equip with wordnet
- 9 To serve instead of; to take the place of. transitive
"Burning ships the banished sun supply."
- 10 To act as a substitute. intransitive
- 11 To fill temporarily; to serve as substitute for another in, as a vacant place or office; to occupy; to have possession of. transitive
"to supply a pulpit"
Adverb
- 1 Supplely: in a supple manner, with suppleness.
"His voice was playful and full; his back was bent supply."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The supply cannot keep up with the demand."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "supply"?
Common synonyms include: provision, ability, accommodate, accommodate with, accouterment, accumulation.
How do you use "supply" in a sentence?
The supply cannot keep up with the demand.
How do you pronounce "supply"?
Pronounced /səˈplaɪ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English supplien, borrowed from Old French soupleer, souploier, from Latin suppleo (“to fill up, make full, complete, supply”). The Middle English spelling was modified to conform to Latin etymology.
Etymology 2
From supple + -ly.