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supply line

supply line

15 3.4
A route that brings food, goods, or fuel to a place
  • noun
  • /səˈplaɪ laɪn/
translation icon : línea de suministro
  • To ensure the success of the operation, they had to secure the supply line running through the mountainous region.
  • keep the supply line
  • resource supply lines

Is there something we can do to mitigate the effects while keeping our supply lines intact?

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Examples

  • The war in Italy is largely over, and the Allies are moving up the country, the wounded and supply lines slowly following.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • And one of the Confederacy's largest supply lines was through Texas.

  • Our supply lines are up and running again, so we're in very good shape.

  • The British were also forced to build a fleet to protect their supply line.

    Blog text (21)
  • Most of these would be held back to guard supply lines and railways.

  • Is there something we can do to mitigate the effects while keeping our supply lines intact?

  • My people, they have a very dependable supply line.

  • This is a supply line to the demilitarized zone.

  • Iraq's relatively large size causes military units to maneuver over long distances, with equally long and vulnerable supply lines.

    Academic text (2005)
  • As long as NATO forces depend on Pakistan's supply line, Washington will need to maintain a functioning relationship with Islamabad.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

supply route
vssupply line
6 3.8

A road or path used to carry food and equipment to soldiers

has identical meaning and is an alternative term used interchangeably

Antonyms

72 5.8

An action that stops people and goods entering or leaving a place, often during war

How Long

supply line
15 3.4
route
1.0
road
1.0
corridor
295 2.5
path
969 1.0

Surface Forms

supply line singular
supply lines plural

Morphology

supply + line

The meaning 'a route along which supplies are transported' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'supply' (provision of goods) with 'line' (a route/position), i.e. a line used for supplying. This noun–noun compound follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Supply line comes from a simple picture: a long line of trucks, ships or trains carrying supply, like food, fuel and tools, along a road to people who need them. If that line is stopped, the people at the end do not get what they need, so 'supply line' now means 'the route used to move supplies'.