noun

der Vorrat, ¨-e

supply · stock

Eine Menge von Dingen, die man aufbewahrt, um sie später zu benutzen oder wenn man sie braucht.

Meaning (English)

Vorrat means a supply / stock / reserve of something that is stored and available for future use. It can refer to food, materials, money, or any stored resources.

Common translations:

stock
supply
store / stores
reserve

Examples of typical use:

einen Vorrat an Lebensmitteln = a stock/supply of food
etwas auf Vorrat kaufen = to buy something in advance / to stock up

Parts (word formation)

vor- = “before / in advance”
Rat (historically related to “provision, supply”; not the same as der Rat = “advice/council” in modern everyday meaning)

So the idea is: something “provided in advance.”

German synonyms

Bestand (stock, inventory)
Vorräte (plural: supplies)
Reserve (reserve)
Lager / Lagerbestand (stored stock, inventory)
Nachschub (supplies/replenishment; often incoming supply rather than what is already stored)

German antonyms (if applicable)

Mangel (shortage)
Knappheit (scarcity)
Leere (emptiness; e.g., der Vorrat ist leer)
Ausverkauf / Erschöpfung der Vorräte (depletion of supplies; more like an opposite situation)

Notes on usage

der Vorrat can be a general concept (“the supply”), while die Vorräte often refers to concrete stored items (provisions).
Frequent collocations: Vorrat an …, Vorräte anlegen (to build up supplies), Vorrat halten (to keep in stock), Vorrat reicht (supply lasts).