supply chain
noun
plural supply chains
: the chain of processes, businesses, etc. by which a commodity is produced and distributed : the companies, materials, and systems involved in manufacturing and delivering goods
The pandemic has disrupted nearly every aspect of the global supply chain—that's the usually invisible pathway of manufacturing, transportation and logistics that gets goods from where they are manufactured, mined or grown to where they are going. At the end of the chain is another company or a consumer who has paid for the finished product.—
Peter S. Goodman
Peter S. Goodman
Everyday life in the United States is acutely dependent on the perpetual motion of the supply chain, in which food and medicine and furniture and clothing all compete for many of the same logistical resources. … [W]hen a finite supply of packaging can't keep up with demand, when there aren't enough longshoremen or truck drivers or postal workers, when a container ship gets wedged sideways in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes—the effects ripple outward for weeks or months, emptying shelves and raising prices in ways that can seem random. All of a sudden, you can't buy kettlebells or canned seltzer.—Amanda Mull
Amanda Mull
Examples of supply chain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Edgewater, a grandmother remembers when heat waves could max out the power grid, hackers could steal credit card numbers, and supply chain disruptions could trigger medication, food or even toilet paper shortages. —David Awschalom, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026 Collins, a supply chain professional, took home a total of $428,100 in regular season winnings, making her one of the highest-ever earning players at the time. —Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 26 Apr. 2026 Far from corporate greed or anticompetitive behavior, competitive discounts driven by volume and supply chain efficiencies fuel free markets, helping families save money on groceries, appliances, TVs, cellphones, computers and cars. —Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 Being 100 percent plant-based is our very foundation to avoid all animal and plastic material in our entire supply chain. —Catherine Salfino, Footwear News, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for supply chain
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
David Awschalom, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026 Collins, a supply chain professional, took home a total of $428,100 in regular season winnings, making her one of the highest-ever earning players at the time. —Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 26 Apr. 2026 Far from corporate greed or anticompetitive behavior, competitive discounts driven by volume and supply chain efficiencies fuel free markets, helping families save money on groceries, appliances, TVs, cellphones, computers and cars. —Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 Being 100 percent plant-based is our very foundation to avoid all animal and plastic material in our entire supply chain. —Catherine Salfino, Footwear News, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for supply chain
Cite this Entry
“Supply chain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/supply%20chain. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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