demand
Americanverb (used with object)
-
demands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
demanded,
past participle, past
-
demanding
present participle
-
to ask for with proper authority; claim as a right.
He demanded payment of the debt.
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to ask for peremptorily or urgently.
He demanded sanctuary. She demanded that we let her in.
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to call for or require as just, proper, or necessary.
This task demands patience. Justice demands objectivity.
- Synonyms:
- exact
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Law.
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to lay formal legal claim to.
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to summon, as to court.
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verb (used without object)
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demands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
demanded,
past participle, past
-
demanding
present participle
noun
-
demands
plural
-
the act of demanding.
-
something that is demanded.
-
an urgent or pressing requirement.
demands upon one's time.
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Economics.
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the desire to purchase, coupled with the power to do so.
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the quantity of goods that buyers will take at a particular price.
-
-
a requisition; a legal claim.
The demands of the client could not be met.
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the state of being wanted or sought for purchase or use.
an article in great demand.
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Archaic. inquiry; question.
idioms
verb
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to request peremptorily or urgently
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to require or need as just, urgent, etc
the situation demands attention
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to claim as a right; exact
his parents demanded obedience of him
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law to make a formal legal claim to (property, esp realty)
noun
-
an urgent or peremptory requirement or request
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something that requires special effort or sacrifice
a demand on one's time
-
the act of demanding something or the thing demanded
the kidnappers' demand was a million pounds
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an insistent question or query
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economics
-
willingness and ability to purchase goods and services
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the amount of a commodity that consumers are willing and able to purchase at a specified price Compare supply 1
-
-
law a formal legal claim, esp to real property
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sought after; popular
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as soon as requested
a draft payable on demand
Synonym Usage
Demand, claim, require imply making an authoritative request. To demand is to ask in a bold, authoritative way: to demand an explanation. To claim is to assert a right to something: He claimed it as his due. To require is to ask for something as being necessary; to compel: The Army requires absolute obedience of its soldiers.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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counterdemandnoun
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demandernoun
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superdemandnoun
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overdemandverb
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predemandverb (used with object)
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demandableadjective
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undemandedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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demandsimple
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demandssimple
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have demandedperfect
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has demandedperfect
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am demandingprogressive
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are demandingprogressive
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is demandingprogressive
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have been demandingperfect progressive
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has been demandingperfect progressive
Past
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demandedsimple
-
had demandedperfect
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was demandingprogressive
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were demandingprogressive
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had been demandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of demand
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English demaunden, from Anglo-French demaunder, from Medieval Latin dēmandāre “to demand,” Latin “to entrust,” equivalent to dē- negative prefix + mandāre “to commission, order”; see de-, mandate
Explanation
Demand means "an urgent request," like your demand that teachers give no homework on the weekend, or the act of making the request — teachers who demand that the work get done, even if it's the weekend. Demand comes from the Old French word demander, meaning "ask, make inquiry." A demand is a lot stronger than that, however. When you demand something, you want action now. A demand can also mean "to require" like cold weather that demands warm coats and boots. Demand is also an economic term, meaning "the amount of an item that can be sold," like the demand for those snow boots: high in winter and nonexistent in summer.
Vocabulary lists containing demand
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is, perhaps, also designed to make her request, or demand, easier for you to swallow.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
They said they are expecting even higher demand this year.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
The country is a tech powerhouse, home to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, two of the world's three biggest makers of memory chips -- components in huge demand thanks to the AI boom.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
But more women are breaking in, drawn by well-paying jobs that are in high demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
“It is a hereditary position with no real duties, except for the rare occasions when circumstances demand otherwise.”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
So far, there are no signs of investor reluctance over Anthropic’s unique corporate structure—intended, in part, to shield safety decisions around AI from investor and market demands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
Under a picture of the King on the front page, the paper says he is "facing increasing demands for slavery apology".
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
But following a security clampdown and serious injuries to some protesters, the movement broadened its demands to include greater protection of civil liberties and the right to protest.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
It’s cheap, keeps beautifully in the refrigerator and demands almost no knife skills.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
The demands of the job, at least, kept his mind occupied.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
China Media Group had earlier demanded apologies from the three parties, calling them "an absolute prerequisite" for moving past the incident.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Complications and byzantine controversies helped stymie the union in its adolescence, with Huerta usually supporting Chávez, even as he became distracted from the union’s central work and demanded absolute power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Some had marked the loans down to about 66 cents on the dollar, and they demanded Clearlake increase its investment in symplr first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
In a video posted online, Dijana Hrka, whose son died in the station collapse, demanded an apology from Informer editor-in-chief Dragan Vucicevic.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
“Explain what we’re looking at, Dr. Achebe,” the general demanded.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers blocked a major highway and clashed with police on Monday, demanding a monthly minimum wage more than double their current pay, as protests spread across industrial hubs.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
Spain was observing the second of three days of national mourning on Friday, with the public demanding answers just weeks before an early general election on November 29.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The proprietors of Presley’s material are demanding more than $41 million in damages.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
“Markets are no longer rewarding companies simply for investing heavily in AI, but increasingly demanding evidence that spending is generating sustainable profits,” Hathorn says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Before long, he was jolted awake by a fierce-looking man pressed against his window, demanding to know why he was trespassing.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
