supply shortage
Not enough stock
A supply shortage occurs when demand for something exceeds its available quantity.
The term appears in economic and logistical contexts: The chip supply shortage disrupted auto manufacturing worldwide.
Supply shortages can result from production problems, distribution failures, hoarding, or sudden spikes in demand.
The phrase is often shortened to just shortage when context makes the meaning clear.
- scarcityInsufficiency of something needed
- deficitAmount still owed
- rationingLimiting distribution during scarcity
- ration cardsPermits for limited goods
- hoardingExcessive accumulation of goods
empty shelves · demand · price gouging · famine · drought · gas station · bottleneck · backorder · panic buying · toilet paper · rations · dwindling · depleted · scarce · running low · sold out · waiting list · long lines
- shortages
- consumer hassleshidden fees, long lines, out of stock, late delivery, overcharging
- factory problemsdefects, breakdowns, downtime, bottlenecks, delays
- logistics problemsshipping delay, late delivery, lost shipment, delayed delivery, transit delay
- disastersdisaster, earthquake, earthquakes, catastrophe, floods
- vaccinationvaccine, vaccines, immunization, shot, shots
supply shortagesurplus
Amount exceeding requirement
oversupply · abundance · glut · excess · plenty
supply shortageoversupply
Excess beyond demand
market saturation · overproduction · buyer's market · excess capacity · excess inventory
supply, shortage, supplies, supplied, supplying, supplier, suppliers, short, shorter