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. GoodmanEveryday 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 MullExamples of supply chain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Creating More Efficient Petrochemical Supply Chains If approved, this $85 billion merger could do something Washington has talked about for years but rarely delivered: dramatically increase the efficiency of a critical U.S. supply chain without costing taxpayers a dime.
—David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
But the complexity of supply chains means the companies’ moves are unlikely to reduce US reliance on foreign sources, CNN reported.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2025
The Clean Vehicle Tax credit was introduced in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, with rules designed to prioritize EVs and plug-in hybrids made in North America and grow domestic battery supply chains.
—Melanie Marshall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Trump has said several times in recent months that there could be trade actions for the pharmaceutical industry, which has globalized since the 1990s with a drug supply chain that stretches from Europe to China and India.
—Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025
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David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
But the complexity of supply chains means the companies’ moves are unlikely to reduce US reliance on foreign sources, CNN reported.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2025
The Clean Vehicle Tax credit was introduced in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, with rules designed to prioritize EVs and plug-in hybrids made in North America and grow domestic battery supply chains.
—Melanie Marshall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Trump has said several times in recent months that there could be trade actions for the pharmaceutical industry, which has globalized since the 1990s with a drug supply chain that stretches from Europe to China and India.
—Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for supply chain
Cite this Entry
“Supply chain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supply%20chain. Accessed 10 Aug. 2025.
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