supply

Word parts

supple + -ly (adverb only)

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: sup‧ply

verb, noun

• enPR: səplīʹ
• IPA ^(key): /səˈplaɪ/
• SAMPA: /s@"plaI/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

adverb

• enPR: sŭpʹlē
• IPA ^(key): /ˈsʌpli/
• SAMPA: /"sVpli/

Noun

Singular supply

Plural supplies

1. (countable & uncountable) A supply is an amount of something that you can use when you need it.

   We will need a supply of water.

   During the war, the Americans destroyed their food supply.

   Sadly these books are in very short supply in Britain.

   The price of oil changes quickly to match supply and demand.

2. (plural only) Supplies are things like food, water, medicine, gasoline, etc. that people need when they are not near somewhere where they can get them easily.

   The Japanese government is finally planning to send medical supplies and financial support.

3. (uncountable) Supply is the act or system of supplying something.

   They plan to fix the Russian economy and improve the supply of food and consumer goods.

   The airplane's air supply wasn't working.

Synonyms

• source

Related words

• supplier

Verb

Plain form supply

Third-person singular supplies

Past tense supplied

Past participle supplied

Present participle supplying

1. (transitive) If you supply something, you make it available, usually regularly.

   We were supplied with a few basic tools that we needed for the job.

   Our garden supplies us with all the food we need.

   The office was well supplied with chairs.

Synonyms

• provide

Related words

• supplier

Adverb

Positive supply

Comparative more supply

Superlative most supply

1. In a supple way.

Other spellings

• supplely