supplement

Plural: supplements

Noun

• textual matter that is added onto a publication; usually at the end
• a quantity added (e.g. to make up for a deficiency)
• a supplementary component that improves capability
• Something added; especially, such an addition added to make up for a deficiency.
• An extension to a document or publication that adds information, corrects errors, or brings up to date.
• An additional section of a newspaper devoted to a specific subject; an additional section of a journal issue, or an additional issue, for a similar purpose.
• An angle that, when added to a given angle, makes 180°; a supplementary angle.
• A vitamin, herbal extract, or chemical compound ingested to meet dietary deficiencies or enhance muscular development; the dosage form that conveys or embodies it (e.g., tablet, capsule, pill, powder, beverage).
• A surcharge, additional cost, especially for food in a restaurant.
• An adjunct that is nonessential, especially a supplementary relative clause.

Verb

• add as a supplement to what seems insufficient
  • "supplement your diet"
• serve as a supplement to
  • "Vitamins supplemented his meager diet"
• add to the very end
• To provide or make a supplement to something.

Examples

• I supplement my income by working as a model.
• Menstruators are likelier to need an iron supplement than non-menstruators, whose diet alone is usually sufficient.
• She wasn't getting enough iron, so they prescribed a supplement.
• the literary supplement
• There is a £2 supplement if you choose the steak.
• Vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids must come from either the diet or supplements.

Synonyms

accessory, add on, add-on, addendum, affix, append, appurtenance, postscript, supplementation, eke out

Related Words

complement, supplemental, supplementary, suppletion, suppletory