demand

[ dih-mand, -mahnd ]
See synonyms for: demanddemandeddemandingdemands on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  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.

  1. to call for or require as just, proper, or necessary: This task demands patience. Justice demands objectivity.

  2. Law.

    • to lay formal legal claim to.

    • to summon, as to court.

verb (used without object)
  1. to make a demand; inquire; ask.

noun
  1. the act of demanding.

  2. something that is demanded.

  1. an urgent or pressing requirement: demands upon one's time.

  2. Economics.

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

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

  3. a requisition; a legal claim: The demands of the client could not be met.

  4. the state of being wanted or sought for purchase or use: an article in great demand.

  5. Archaic. inquiry; question.

Idioms about demand

  1. on demand, upon presentation or request for payment: The fee is payable on demand.

Origin of demand

1
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

synonym study For demand

3. 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 words for demand

Other words from demand

  • de·mand·a·ble, adjective
  • de·mand·er, noun
  • coun·ter·de·mand, noun
  • o·ver·de·mand, verb, noun
  • pre·de·mand, verb (used with object)
  • su·per·de·mand, noun
  • un·de·mand·ed, adjective

Words Nearby demand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use demand in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for demand

demand

/ (dɪˈmɑːnd) /


verb(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive)
  1. to request peremptorily or urgently

  2. to require or need as just, urgent, etc: the situation demands attention

  1. to claim as a right; exact: his parents demanded obedience of him

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

noun
  1. an urgent or peremptory requirement or request

  2. something that requires special effort or sacrifice: a demand on one's time

  1. the act of demanding something or the thing demanded: the kidnappers' demand was a million pounds

  2. an insistent question or query

  3. economics

    • willingness and ability to purchase goods and services

    • the amount of a commodity that consumers are willing and able to purchase at a specified price: Compare supply 1 (def. 9)

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

  5. in demand sought after; popular

  6. on demand as soon as requested: a draft payable on demand

Origin of demand

1
C13: from Anglo-French demaunder, from Medieval Latin dēmandāre, from Latin: to commit to, from de- + mandāre to command, entrust; see mandate

Derived forms of demand

  • demandable, adjective
  • demander, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for demand

demand

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.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with demand

demand

see in demand; make demands on; on demand.

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