Meaning & use
suppliers
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“suppliers” is a form of “supplier”.
Meanings
nounusually pluralbusiness
Companies or people that provide goods, materials or services to a business or customer.
Grammar: Often plural, followed by of: suppliers of electrical parts.
Patterns
- suppliers of something
- suppliers to someone
The restaurant buys its fish from local suppliers.
Our suppliers have raised their prices again.
The factory relies on several suppliers of steel.
nounusually plural
Countries or other bodies that provide a resource such as energy or food to others.
Grammar: Plural, usually with a resource: gas suppliers.
Patterns
- suppliers of something
- a major supplier of something
Norway and Qatar are major suppliers of gas to Europe.
The country is one of the world's largest suppliers of coffee.
Energy suppliers announced new tariffs this week.
Word forms
| singular | supplier |
|---|
Common combinations
- local suppliers
- The café prefers to use local suppliers.
- major suppliers
- China is one of our major suppliers.
- switch suppliers
- We switched suppliers to cut costs.
- supplier of goods
- They are a supplier of office furniture.
- pay suppliers
- The company was late paying its suppliers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- vendors
- Vendors sell directly to customers or to a business, and the word is common in sales, while suppliers stresses providing a steady need.
- providers
- Providers is more general and often used for services, such as internet providers, while suppliers often means goods.
- wholesalers
- Wholesalers buy in bulk and resell to shops, so they are one type of supplier.
- distributors
- Distributors move goods from makers to sellers, while suppliers may make the goods themselves.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: suppliers or suppliants?
suppliers vs suppliants
Suppliants are people who humbly beg for something, an old and rare word that is unrelated to business.
Practice
The bakery has three ___ that deliver flour, butter and sugar every week.
Choose one answer.
Suppliers provide goods to a business. Customers buy from it, competitors rival it, and inspectors check it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “suppliers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.