supplement

supplement — noun

1. something extra that you include with another thing when you want to make it ful

1.nounB1
Definition

something extra that you include with another thing when you want to make it fuller or address something that is missing — such as earnings from a side job that you add onto your regular wages, or extra pages inserted into a report.

Example

Emma took on a part-time job as a supplement to her regular income.

collocation: supplement to [something]

The company offers a pension supplement for staff who stay longer than ten years.

Common collocations
  • income supplement
  • pension supplement
  • salary supplement
  • supplement to
Synonyms
  • addition

    more general and neutral; a supplement often implies filling a gap, while an addition may be purely optional

  • extra

    more informal and less precise; used in everyday speech for anything added

  • top-up

    informal British English, especially for money (e.g. a phone top-up)

Antonyms
  • deduction

    something taken away, especially from an amount of money

Grammar Patterns

supplement + to + noun phrase

Usage Note

Frequently used in the pattern 'supplement to + noun' — for example, 'a supplement to the report.' The thing being supplemented is typically financial (income, salary, pension, budget) but can also be abstract (a supplement to the discussion).

Common Mistakes

I need a supplement for my income.
I need a supplement to my income.
the correct preposition after supplement (in this sense) is 'to,' not 'for.'

2. a product made from natural ingredients such as vitamins and minerals that you t

2.nounB1
Definition

a product made from natural ingredients such as vitamins and minerals that you take to keep your body healthy or to get important nutrients your everyday meals do not provide enough of.

Example

Many older adults take calcium supplements to keep their bones strong.

collocation: take + [type] supplements

Joon buys vitamin C supplements every winter to help fight off colds.

Common collocations
  • dietary supplement
  • vitamin supplement
  • calcium supplement
  • iron supplement
  • take supplements
  • daily supplement
Synonyms
  • dietary supplement

    the full formal name; more precise than supplement alone

  • health product

    broader category that includes supplements but also other wellness items

  • nutrient

    refers to the substance inside the supplement, not the product itself

Grammar Patterns

take + [adjective] supplement(s)

supplement + of + nutrient

Usage Note

Commonly appears in plural form (supplements) since people often take more than one type. The word 'dietary' is frequently used before 'supplement' to specify this sense. In Taiwan, these are usually labelled as 保健食品 (health food products) under local food-safety regulations.

Common Mistakes

I took a supplement pill for vitamin.
I took a vitamin supplement.
the nutrient type comes before 'supplement,' not after it with 'for.'

3. an extra section of a newspaper or magazine, often sold separately or printed as

3.nounB2
Definition

an extra section of a newspaper or magazine, often sold separately or printed as a special insert, that focuses on a particular topic such as travel, fashion, or books.

Example

The Sunday newspaper includes a colourful travel supplement every week.

common in: Sunday supplement / weekend supplement

Léa read a detailed article about climate change in the magazine's science supplement.

Common collocations
  • Sunday supplement
  • weekend supplement
  • book supplement
  • travel supplement
  • literary supplement
  • magazine supplement
Synonyms
  • insert

    a printed sheet placed inside a newspaper, often for advertising; more specific and less common for editorial content

  • section

    a broader term for any part of a newspaper; a supplement is always extra and separate

Grammar Patterns

[newspaper/magazine] + supplement

supplement + on/about + topic

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 4 (book supplement): a media supplement is part of a periodical (newspaper or magazine) and is usually published on a regular schedule, whereas a book supplement is a one-time addition. In Taiwan, the most well-known example is the 聯合報 '聯合副刊' (United Daily News supplement).

4. an additional section included in a book — either placed at the back or issued a

4.nounB2
Definition

an additional section included in a book — either placed at the back or issued as a separate booklet — that gives readers updated facts or material that came to light after the main text was finished.

Example

The dictionary's supplement lists over five hundred new words from the past decade.

supplement at the end of a reference book

A supplement at the back of the textbook explains the maths formulas in more detail.

Common collocations
  • supplement to the dictionary
  • supplement to the textbook
  • separate supplement
  • publish a supplement
Synonyms
  • appendix

    usually part of the original book plan and appears inside the book; a supplement may be published separately afterwards

  • addendum

    a formal term for material added at the end of a document, often legal or academic; slightly more formal than supplement

  • annex

    a document attached to a report or agreement; more common in official or business contexts

Grammar Patterns

supplement + to + [book/dictionary/textbook]

Usage Note

This sense is more formal and typically appears in academic or reference publishing. Unlike a general 'appendix' (which is planned as part of the original book), a supplement is usually created after the main book is finished, to include updates or corrections.

supplement — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe something that is added to something else, but they differ in purpose and context. A supplement adds to something that already exists, often to fill a gap or make up for a lack — for example, a vitamin supplement makes up for nutrients missing from your diet. A complement, by contrast, completes something by adding what is needed to make it whole; it suggests that two things go together naturally, like a red wine that is a perfect complement to a steak. An addendum is more formal and almost always refers to extra text added to the end of a document, report, or book. In everyday use: if you take a part-time job to earn more money, that is a supplement to your salary. If your colleague's skills balance yours perfectly at work, those are complementary skills. And if the author adds a final chapter after the book is finished, that is an addendum.

supplement ↗complement ↗addendum

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • as a supplement to
  • in addition to
  • dietary supplement
  • vitamin supplement
  • Sunday supplement

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'supplement' comes from Latin 'supplere', meaning 'to fill up, complete, or make full.' 'Supplere' is formed from the prefix 'sub-' (meaning 'up from under') combined with 'plere' ('to fill'). The word entered English through French in the 1300s with the general meaning of 'something added to fill a lack.' The connection to publications (newspaper supplements, book supplements) developed in the 1800s, and the dietary-health meaning became common in the 1900s.