demand

American  

[dih-mand, -mahnd] / dɪˈmænd, -ˈmɑnd /

verb (used with object)

• demands,
  present (3rd person singular)
• demanded,
  past participle,  past
• demanding
  present participle

1. to ask for with proper authority; claim as a right.

   He demanded payment of the debt.

2. to ask for peremptorily or urgently.

   He demanded sanctuary. She demanded that we let her in.

3. to call for or require as just, proper, or necessary.

   This task demands patience. Justice demands objectivity.

   Synonyms:

   exact

4. Law.

   1. to lay formal legal claim to.

   2. to summon, as to court.

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verb (used without object)

• demands,
  present (3rd person singular)
• demanded,
  past participle,  past
• demanding
  present participle

1. to make a demand; inquire; ask.

noun

• demands
  plural

1. the act of demanding.

2. something that is demanded.

3. an urgent or pressing requirement.

   demands upon one's time.

4. Economics.

   1. the desire to purchase, coupled with the power to do so.

   2. the quantity of goods that buyers will take at a particular price.

5. a requisition; a legal claim.

   The demands of the client could not be met.

6. the state of being wanted or sought for purchase or use.

   an article in great demand.

7. Archaic. inquiry; question.

idioms

1. on demand, upon presentation or request for payment.

   The fee is payable on demand.

demand British  

/ dɪˈmɑːnd /

verb

1. to request peremptorily or urgently

2. to require or need as just, urgent, etc

   the situation demands attention

3. to claim as a right; exact

   his parents demanded obedience of him

4. law to make a formal legal claim to (property, esp realty)

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noun

1. an urgent or peremptory requirement or request

2. something that requires special effort or sacrifice

   a demand on one's time

3. the act of demanding something or the thing demanded

   the kidnappers' demand was a million pounds

4. an insistent question or query

5. economics

   1. willingness and ability to purchase goods and services

   2. the amount of a commodity that consumers are willing and able to purchase at a specified price Compare supply 1

6. law a formal legal claim, esp to real property

7. sought after; popular

8. as soon as requested

   a draft payable on demand

demand Cultural  

1. The amount of any given commodity that people are ready and able to buy at a given time for a given price. (See supply and demand.)

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demand More Idioms  

1. see in demand; make demands on; on demand.

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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

• counterdemand
  noun
• demander
  noun
• superdemand
  noun
• overdemand
  verb
• predemand
  verb (used with object)
• demandable
  adjective
• undemanded
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• demands
  plural

Participles

• demanding
  present
• demanded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• demand
  simple
• demands
  simple
• have demanded
  perfect
• has demanded
  perfect
• am demanding
  progressive
• are demanding
  progressive
• is demanding
  progressive
• have been demanding
  perfect progressive
• has been demanding
  perfect progressive

Past

• demanded
  simple
• had demanded
  perfect
• was demanding
  progressive
• were demanding
  progressive
• had been demanding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will demand
  simple
• will have demanded
  perfect
• will be demanding
  progressive
• will have been demanding
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

demand demands demanded demanding

Anthropic's commercial success has been accompanied by difficulties in meeting demand for computing power, amid a shortage of chips and servers.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

At Fountain Grains & Greens, the owners’ dedication to using local, carefully sourced ingredients also make it difficult to meet the increased demand for protein.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Cities like Pittsburgh had built enough housing to meet demand by 1920 and 1930, Fed researchers told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

China’s widespread adoption of electric vehicles has reduced domestic demand for fuel oil.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Black market vendors left their normal posts in front of theaters and cinemas, and stationed themselves in front of the Dom Sindikata to peddle entrance tickets to the match, which were in great demand.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Wordless storytelling, an homage to silent films, is a cinematic scripting choice that demands a deeper level of acting ability we might otherwise overlook in a movie like this.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

"I don't think it'll be this season but, at some stage as a manager, you get fed up juggling all those demands."

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

A substantial rise in fatty acids and liver-derived proteins associated with the demands of endurance exercise did not appear in the bloodstream until three hours after the workout.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

First, AI data centers’ power demands can be incredibly taxing on power systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Reverend Hunt demands, his voice booming over the cries.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Jeanie Buss’ attorney demanded her brothers retract statements the Buss family is selling its 17.8% ownership stake, citing a court ruling she is to be owner for life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

"We of course know it's a harsh submission to make, but we submit it is demanded by the nature of the offending in this case."

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Ava-Grace says her caring responsibilities have demanded a number of trade-offs over the years.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

If the market starts to worry about U.S. debt levels and pushes up the rate of interest on Treasury bonds to compensate, this in turn pushes up the rates of return demanded by everything else.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Her rebellious, ethereal, aura-reading, forgetting-she-had-a-daughter-at-all mother didn’t just like to be noticed—she demanded it.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

The founder of World Central Kitchen, Jose Andres, described the decision as "wrong" and "painful for all of us", demanding an independent commission to investigate.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

She has filled out a government form demanding compensation from Russia -- a bureaucratic formality.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Uber is teaming up with drone startup Zipline to take its delivery service to the skies, a move aimed at winning customers demanding ever-quicker turnaround times for takeout, grocery and retail orders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

“This is Me” also depicts her mother, former soap actress Lesley Vogel, as demanding her daughter’s absolute best at every step in her career and leaving her with no alternative path.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

Now here they were by the hundreds on the front lawn of Howard Johnson’s, demanding the right to eat at a regular sit-down restaurant.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• appeal
• challenge
• claim
• expect
• force
• order
• press
• question
• request
• require
• stipulate
• urge