Need
Need noun - A state of being without something necessary, desirable, or useful.
Usage example: when it came time to wrap the presents, he found he was in need of adhesive tape
Supply
Supply noun - The number of individuals or amount of something available at any given time.
How words are described
| good | good need | good supply |
| low | low need | low supply |
| usual | usual need | usual supply |
| current | current need | current supply |
| Other adjectives: infinite, constant, large, big, great, huge, personal, new, general, limited, greater, last. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- The Grid doesn't necessarily supply the power to the morphers but it instead channels that power into what they need.
Source: Meta Origin -
It's pointed out that horses need fodder, and that the need for this created all kinds of supply problems in World War I.
Source: Automaton Horses -
They have no need for logistics, supply lines, energy supply or maintenance, which even has the codex notes how impossible this should be.
Source: Badass Army
Cite this Source
Supply and Need. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/need/supply
Need & Supply. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/need/supply>.
Supply or Need. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/need/supply.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "need" and "supply" have occurred on timeline