supplier

/səˈplaɪə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /səˈplaɪər/ (ame, ipa) · /səˈplī(ə)r -īə/ (ame, mw)

supplier — noun

  • suppliersingular
  • suppliersplural

1. a company, organization, or person that regularly provides goods, services, or m

1.名詞B1
釋義

a company, organization, or person that regularly provides goods, services, or materials that other businesses or people need

例句

Our company works with a local steel supplier that has never missed a delivery.

supplier + of + noun (ongoing relationship)

Élise found a reliable coffee bean supplier for her new café in the city centre.

reliable + supplier

同義詞
  • provider

    broader term that can include services and abstract things like information or support

  • vendor

    often implies selling at a market or through a short-term contract; less emphasis on ongoing relationship

反義詞
  • customer

    the person or business that buys from the supplier

文法句型

supplier + of + noun

supplier + to + noun

用法筆記

Often used with an adjective before it (reliable supplier, main supplier, major supplier). The preposition of introduces what is supplied; to introduces who receives it.

常見錯誤

❌The supplier provided me a quote.
✅The supplier provided me with a quote.
💡provide requires with before the indirect object. Supplier itself is used correctly.

2. a business whose main activity consists of selling products in a specific catego

2.名詞B1
釋義

a business whose main activity consists of selling products in a specific category, such as food or furniture, to customers or other companies

例句

This restaurant chain is one of the largest food suppliers in the region.

largest + supplier (market position)

The company started as a small office furniture supplier and grew into a national brand.

同義詞
  • seller

    less formal; often used for individual sales or one-off transactions rather than ongoing business relationships

  • distributor

    focuses on the role of moving products through the supply chain; not necessarily the original source

文法句型

supplier + of + product

adjective + supplier

用法筆記

Unlike sense 1 (PROVIDER), this sense does not emphasise the duration of the relationship. It simply identifies the type of company by what it sells.

常見錯誤

❌They are a supplier sell computers.
✅They are a computer supplier.
💡Use the noun modifier pattern (product + supplier) instead of a relative clause after supplier.