- [countable] an amount of something that is provided or available to be used
- Advances in agriculture increased the food supply.
- Demand for skilled labour outstrips supply.
- We ordered a month's supply of oil.
- We cannot guarantee adequate supplies of raw materials.
Extra Examples- Supplies of food are almost exhausted.
- By the end of the winter the supply of grain was severely depleted.
- Domestic coal supplies were more plentiful in the 1950s.
- He has an endless supply of corny jokes.
- Hurry, as we only have a limited supply of these TVs in stock!
- I went to the office supply store.
- The injured climbers had only meagre supplies of water and peanuts to live off.
- It is impossible to measure the total supply of money in circulation.
- Make sure you have an adequate supply of brochures.
- The body needs a fresh supply of vitamin C every day.
- The farmers depend on a casual labour supply at harvest time.
- The studio produced a steady supply of good films.
- There will soon be a shortfall in supply of qualified young people.
- We should lay in a good supply of beer for the party.
- a supply of spare batteries
- the provision of a reliable supply of clean water to rural communities
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- total
- available
- endless
- …
- have
- get
- lay in
- …
- increase
- fall
- exceed demand
- …
- chain
- line
- network
- …
- supply of
- supply to
- be in short supply
- demand and supply
- supply and demand
- …
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- supplies[plural] the things such as food, medicines, fuel, etc. that are needed by a group of people, for example an army or expedition
- Our supplies were running out.
- food and medical supplies for refugees
Extra Examples- The Red Cross flew emergency food supplies into the war zone.
- Rebel action threatened relief supplies.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- abundant
- plentiful
- limited
- …
- bring
- bring in
- lay in
- …
- hold out
- last
- be depleted
- …
- supply of
- [uncountable] the act of supplying something; the fact of receiving something that is being supplied
- the electricity/energy/gas supply
- The storm disrupted the town's power supply.
- A stroke is caused by disruption to the blood supply to the brain.
- the supply of goods and services
- a contract for the supply of timber
Extra Examples- The UN has agreed to allow the supply of emergency aid.
- A stroke can disrupt the supply of oxygen to the brain.
- The electricity supply had been cut off.
- The electricity company disconnected our supply for non-payment of a bill.
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French soupleer, from Latin supplere ‘fill up’, from sub- ‘from below’ + plere ‘fill’. The early sense of the noun was ‘assistance, relief’ (chiefly a Scots use).
Idioms
See supply in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee supply in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishin short supply
- not existing in large enough quantities to satisfy demand
- Basic foodstuffs were in short supply.
- Sunshine will be in short supply for the west coast.
- Safe drinking water is in desperately short supply.
Check pronunciation:
supply