business supply

[/ˈbɪznəs səˈplaɪ/]
nounpl: business supplies
suprimento comercial; material de escritório; insumo empresarial
1. Materials, equipment, or products purchased by a business for operational use, such as office equipment, stationery, or raw materials
The company reduced its business supply costs by switching to a wholesale distributor.
A empresa reduziu seus custos de suprimentos comerciais ao mudar para um distribuidor atacadista.
2. A store or vendor that sells items needed for business operations
We ordered our printer ink from the local business supply store.
Encomendamos nosso cartucho de impressora na loja de suprimentos comerciais local.
3. The act or process of providing necessary materials to keep a business operating
Reliable business supply chains are essential for maintaining productivity.
Cadeias confiáveis de suprimentos comerciais são essenciais para manter a produtividade.
In Brazil, businesses often refer to office and operational supplies as 'materiais de escritório' in smaller contexts, while larger corporations use 'suprimentos comerciais' or 'insumos' more formally. The term reflects the importance of supply chain management in both Brazilian and American business cultures, with significant growth in e-commerce platforms specializing in business supplies like Alibaba and local distributors.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
office suppliesbusiness materialscommercial suppliesbusiness equipmentoperational supplies
Antonyms / Antônimos
demandconsumption

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
suprimento comercial; material de escritório
Most common usage in Brazilian business contexts
São Paulo
insumo; material comercial
Often used in industrial and commercial sectors
Rio de Janeiro
suprimento empresarial
Formal business terminology
Portugal
material de escritório; fornecimentos comerciais
Portuguese tends to use 'fornecimentos' more frequently

Related Words

inventoryprocurementvendordistributorstockwholesalelogistics

Related Idioms & Phrases

keep supplies stocked
supply chain management
run low on supplies
bulk up on supplies
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →