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Synonyms

a must

Idioms  

  1. A necessity; a requirement. For example, The Louvre is a must for visitors to Paris, or This book is a must for serious students of English. [Late 1800s]

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.

For the companies that are hiring for those skills, AI fluency is a must.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

For me, integrity is paramount and asking questions up-front is a must.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

He said the club had become "a must do thing to do" for tourists interested in golf.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

Nikki Beauchamp, a real-estate broker based in New York City who travels regularly for work and pleasure, says checking a bag is a must for her in many instances.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

He believed discipline and rules were a must for children, especially young boys—and especially those growing up in Birmingham, Alabama.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.