From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsupplysup‧ply1 /səˈplaɪ/ ●●● S2 W2 noun (plural supplies) 1 amount available [countable]KEEP/STORE an amount of something that is available to be usedsupply of I’ve only got a week’s supply of tablets left.plentiful/abundant/adequate etc supply There was a plentiful supply of cheap labour. The nation’s fuel supplies will not last forever. To protect the food supply, the government ordered the slaughter of affected cattle. → money supply2 → supplies3 → gas/electricity/water etc supply4 act of supplying [uncountable]PROVIDE when you supply somethingsupply of/to The military government is trying to stop the supply of guns to the rebels.5 → supply ship/convoy/route etc → in short supply at short1COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa good supplyIn hot countries, always carry a good supply of water.a plentiful/abundant supply formal:There was a plentiful supply of books and magazines to read.an adequate supplyThe larger cities usually have more modern health facilities and an adequate supply of medicines.a constant/steady/regular supplyFor dairy farming, a constant supply of lush grass is essential.an endless/inexhaustible supply (=one that does not end, or seems not to end)He has an endless supply of jokes.a ready supply (=one that is easily available)The early settlers also found a ready supply of flints in the chalk cliffs.a small/limited supplyThere is a limited supply of land for building.a dwindling supply (=one that is getting smaller)We cannot rely on the dwindling supplies of crude oil and natural gas.a fresh supplyA fresh supply of fuel was needed.verbsuse up/exhaust a supplyThe diver had nearly used up his supply of oxygen.
Examples from the Corpus
supply• Within a week, one and a half million men, with abundant supplies, were in position for a massed attack.• The size of a premium or discount for a currency depends on demand and supply in the forward market for it.• More donors are needed as blood supplies run low.• The patient suffered a sudden decrease in the blood supply to part of her brain.• The electricity supply is less reliable in mountainous areas of the country.• We have to find ways of providing an equitable supply of food that does not depend upon crude market forces.• Food supplies in the camp were already running out.• The nation's fuel supplies will not last forever.• The hospital keeps a large supply of blood for use in emergencies.• Joe kept records of his stills photography and checked through the medical supplies.• The steel industry depends on a regular supply of raw materials.• The supermarket donated a year's supply of groceries to one needy family.• First prize was a year's supply of baby food.• The two do not always go together and experts who combine the two are in short supply.• In the extreme case, the supply will depend exclusively on demand.• We need to improve the supply of food to the area affected by the floods.• In south Texas, the water supply is close to failing.• The drought is threatening the water supply in some areas.• During the drought some households had their water supply cut off.supply of• All the construction has created a plentiful supply of housing.• Blood clots can stop the supply of blood to the brain, causing a stroke.supply of/to• There is also to be an initiative towards regional disarmament and towards limiting future arms supplies to the region.• In Raynaud's disease, the blood supply to the fingers is faulty, leading to attacks of numbness and discomfort.• If key sections of the system crumble, Moran said, San Francisco would be left with a four-day supply of water.• An infinitely interest-elastic supply of money. 5.• Walrus tusks were essentially substitutes for ivory in territories remote from supplies of elephant tusks.• For centuries, infants provided the poliovirus a steady supply of hosts, and open sewers delivered the disease to them.• There are clear signs that supplies of fungi are now dwindling.• The interaction of the demand for, and the supply of yen will establish the dollar price of yen. supplysupply2 ●●● S3 W2 verb (supplied, supplying, supplies) [transitive] 1 PROVIDEto provide people with something that they need or want, especially regularly over a long period of time Paint for the project was supplied by the city.supply somebody with something An informer supplied the police with the names of those involved in the crime.supply something to somebody They were arrested for supplying drugs to street dealers.2 → be well/poorly/generously supplied with something→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
supply• Johns notes that the strategy of substituting active for passive raises the problem of supplying a subject for the active clause.• The company supplies fish to local shops and restaurants.• Interspersed between tragic stories are a few songs supplying pointed but comic relief.• He wanted Frank and Raymo to be part of it and he supplied some operational details.• This also supplies the data for D2.• The US government was accused of supplying the rebels with arms and equipment.• To make life easier for the user a keyboard overlay is supplied which carries the various options.• A great range of waiting-rooms, offices, restaurants, baggage rooms, and a post office were supplied within.supply somebody with something• In the 1850s, Stanford started his business by supplying miners with shovels.From Longman Business Dictionarysupplysup‧ply1 /səˈplaɪ/ verb (past tense and past participle supplied) [transitive]1COMMERCEto provide goods or services to customers, especially regularly and over a long period of timeIn certain circumstances they will charge an additional amount when supplying agricultural goods and services.supply something to somebodyThe company supplies products and services to the energy industry.supply somebody with somethingThe computer giant has agreed to supply Mitsubishi with mainframe and minicomputers.2to give someone something they want or needSeveral pharmaceutical companies are supplyingadditional data and making recommendations on labeling.Financing was supplied by a syndicate of international banks.supply somebody with somethingAll employees were supplied with protective clothing.→ See Verb tablesupplysupply2 noun (plural supplies)1[countable]COMMERCEECONOMICS an amount of something that is available to be sold, bought, used etcThe quality of the locallabour supply has helped to keep his company growing.One-quarter of the nation’soil supply is shipped via the pipeline.Coal inventories at the end of March were 390,000 metric tons, a 14-day supply.During times of rapid growth demand for aircraft maintenance resources also tends to outstrip supply.2be in short supply if something is in short supply, very little of it is availablePricing information is in short supply because computer makers don’t like to talk about the latest trends.The building projects are behind schedule and construction materials in desperately short supply.3water/gas/electricity etc supply a system that provides water, gas etcThepublic water supply company said the charge was related to its environmental testing laboratory. → see also money supply4[uncountable]COMMERCE the act of supplying somethingsupply ofThere were some difficulties in the supply of raw materials.Origin supply2 (1300-1400) Old French soupleier, from Latin supplere “to fill up, supplement, supply”, from sub- “up” + plere “to fill” 