Library / English Dictionary

SUPPLY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: supplied   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The activity of supplying or providing something

Synonyms:

provision; supply; supplying

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("supply" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "supply"):

irrigation (supplying dry land with water by means of ditches etc)

alimentation; feeding (the act of supplying food and nourishment)

fueling; refueling (the activity of supplying or taking on fuel)

care delivery; health care delivery; healthcare delivery (the provision of health care)

issuance; issue; issuing (the act of providing an item for general use or for official purposes (usually in quantity))

logistics (handling an operation that involves providing labor and materials be supplied as needed)

purveyance (the act of supplying something)

stocking (the activity of supplying a stock of something)

subvention (the act or process of providing aid or help of any sort)

Derivation:

supply (give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance)

supply (give something useful or necessary to)

supply (circulate or distribute or equip with)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Offering goods and services for sale

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("supply" is a kind of...):

economic process (any process affecting the production and development and management of material wealth, or, according to Carmine Gorga, Ph.D., author of the book 'The Economic Process', the process of production of real wealth, distribution of ownership rights over real and monetary wealth, and consumption or expenditure of monetary wealth to purchase real wealth)

Antonym:

demand (the ability and desire to purchase goods and services)

Derivation:

supply (circulate or distribute or equip with)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An amount of something available for use

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("supply" is a kind of...):

indefinite quantity (an estimated quantity)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "supply"):

reservoir (a large or extra supply of something)

Derivation:

supply (give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance)

supply (give something useful or necessary to)

supply (circulate or distribute or equip with)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

State or say further

Example:

'It doesn't matter,' he supplied

Synonyms:

add; append; supply

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "supply" is one way to...):

say; state; tell (express in words)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "supply"):

insert; slip in; sneak in; stick in (insert casually)

toss in (add casually to a conversation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 2

Meaning:

Give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance

Example:

The hostess provided lunch for all the guests

Synonyms:

cater; ply; provide; supply

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Hypernyms (to "supply" is one way to...):

give (transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "supply"):

staff (provide with staff)

drench (force to drink)

regale; treat (provide with choice or abundant food or drink)

board (provide food and lodging (for))

feed; give (give food to)

feed (serve as food for; be the food for)

dish; dish out; dish up; serve; serve up (provide (usually but not necessarily food))

cater (supply food ready to eat; for parties and banquets)

pander; pimp; procure (arrange for sexual partners for others)

help; serve (help to some food; help with food or drink)

power (supply the force or power for the functioning of)

feed (provide as food)

gratify; indulge; pander (yield (to); give satisfaction to)

underlay (provide with a base, support, lining, or backing)

conform to; fill; fit; fulfil; fulfill; meet; satisfy (fill, satisfy or meet a want or need or condtion ro restriction)

horse (provide with a horse or horses)

shower (provide abundantly with)

accommodate (provide with something desired or needed)

nourish; nurture; sustain (provide with nourishment)

fix up (find (something or someone) for)

gutter (provide with gutters)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody with something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

supply (an amount of something available for use)

supply (the activity of supplying or providing something)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Give something useful or necessary to

Example:

We provided the room with an electrical heater

Synonyms:

furnish; provide; render; supply

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "supply" is one way to...):

give (transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "supply"):

hydrate (supply water or liquid to in order to maintain a healthy balance)

charge (energize a battery by passing a current through it in the direction opposite to discharge)

date (provide with a dateline; mark with a date)

feed (feed into; supply)

calk (provide with calks)

fund (provide a fund for the redemption of principal or payment of interest)

scant; skimp; stint (supply sparingly and with restricted quantities)

terrace; terrasse (provide (a house) with a terrace)

dado (provide with a dado)

innervate (supply nerves to (some organ or body part))

offer (make available or accessible, provide or furnish)

signalise; signalize (provide with traffic signals)

extend; offer (make available; provide)

stock (provide or furnish with a stock of something)

buy in; stock; stock up (amass so as to keep for future use or sale or for a particular occasion or use)

caption (provide with a caption, as of a photograph or a drawing)

tube (provide with a tube or insert a tube into)

ticket (provide with a ticket for passage or admission)

stock (supply with livestock)

stock (supply with fish)

rim (furnish with a rim)

fret (provide (a musical instrument) with frets)

step (furnish with steps)

rail (provide with rails)

grate (furnish with a grate)

capitalise; capitalize (supply with capital, as of a business by using a combination of capital used by investors and debt capital provided by lenders)

alphabetize (provide with an alphabet)

wharf (provide with a wharf)

air-condition; air-cool (equip with an apparatus for controlling the humidity and temperature)

uniform (provide with uniforms)

railroad (supply with railroad lines)

partner (provide with a partner)

bewhisker; whisker (furnish with whiskers)

subtitle (supply (a movie) with subtitles)

headline (provide (a newspaper page or a story) with a headline)

match (provide funds complementary to)

hobnail (supply with hobnails)

wive (provide with a wife; marry (someone) to a wife)

victual (supply with food)

cloy; surfeit (supply or feed to surfeit)

heat (provide with heat)

seat (provide with seats)

seat (put a seat on a chair)

ramp (furnish with a ramp)

arm (supply with arms)

interleave (provide (books) with blank leaves)

glass; glaze (furnish with glass)

crenel; crenelate; crenellate (supply with battlements)

causeway (provide with a causeway)

canal; canalise; canalize (provide (a city) with a canal)

bush (provide with a bushing)

brattice (supply with a brattice, to ventilate mines)

furnish (provide or equip with furniture)

slat (equip or bar with slats)

berth (provide with a berth)

bed (furnish with a bed)

computerise; computerize (provide with computers)

costume (furnish with costumes; as for a film or play)

bottom (provide with a bottom or a seat)

rafter (provide (a ceiling) with rafters)

tool (furnish with tools)

key (provide with a key)

fuel (provide with a combustible substance that provides energy)

provision; purvey (supply with provisions)

afford; give; yield (be the cause or source of)

equip; fit; fit out; outfit (provide with (something) usually for a specific purpose)

transistorise; transistorize (equip (an electronic circuit or device) with transistors)

upholster (provide furniture with padding, springs, webbing, and covers)

cleat (provide with cleats)

coal (supply with coal)

corbel (furnish with a corbel)

cornice (furnish with a cornice)

constitutionalize (provide with a constitution, as of a country)

copper-bottom (provide with a copper bottom)

curtain (provide with drapery)

gate (supply with a gate)

index (provide with an index)

articulate; joint (provide with a joint)

pour (supply in large amounts or quantities)

pump (supply in great quantities)

fire; fuel (provide with fuel)

flood; glut; oversupply (supply with an excess of)

toggle (provide with a toggle or toggles)

patch (provide with a patch; also used metaphorically)

water (provide with water)

leverage (provide with leverage)

tap (furnish with a tap or spout, so as to be able to draw liquid from it)

top; top out (provide with a top or finish the top (of a structure))

reflectorise; reflectorize (provide with reflectors, such as chemicals)

retrofit (provide with parts, devices, or equipment not available or in use at the time of the original manufacture)

border; edge (provide with a border or edge)

machicolate (supply with projecting galleries)

sanitate (provide with sanitary facilities or appliances)

hat (furnish with a hat)

theme (provide with a particular theme or motive)

kern (furnish with a kern)

headquarter (provide with headquarters)

shelter (provide shelter for)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody with something
Somebody ----s something with something

Derivation:

supplier (someone whose business is to supply a particular service or commodity)

supply (the activity of supplying or providing something)

supply (an amount of something available for use)

supplying (the activity of supplying or providing something)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Circulate or distribute or equip with

Example:

supply blankets for the beds

Synonyms:

issue; supply

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "supply" is one way to...):

distribute (make available)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "supply"):

free; release; unblock; unfreeze (make (assets) available)

reissue (issue (a new version of))

free; release (make (information) available for publication)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

supply (the activity of supplying or providing something)

supply (offering goods and services for sale)

supply (an amount of something available for use)

Credits

 Context examples: 

To boost sensitivity, the biosensors need a power supply.

(New Type of Battery Created from Paper, Fueled by Bacteria, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

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

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

“The supply of game for London is going steadily up,” it ran.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Greenhouse-grown plants were not supplied any nutrients other than what was present in soil.

(New Test Can Determine Nitrogen Levels in Soil, U.S. Department of Agriculture)

We supplied him with the bust some months ago.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Anne had the whole history of all that such an evening could supply from Lady Russell.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Deficiencies can lead to anemia, a condition in which the blood can’t supply enough oxygen to bodily tissues, causing fatigue and other symptoms.

(Iron Supplements Hasten Recovery in Blood Donors, NIH)

General term for blood supply and flow through tissues and organs.

(Blood Circulation, NIH CRISP Thesaurus)

For a week the amount of virtue in the old house would have supplied the neighborhood.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

You have yourself supplied the rest.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)