demand
Americanverb (used with object)
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demands,
present (3rd person singular)
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demanded,
past participle, past
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demanding
present participle
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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
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the act of demanding.
-
something that is demanded.
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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.
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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
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an urgent or peremptory requirement or request
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something that requires special effort or sacrifice
a demand on one's time
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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
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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
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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:
And van der Meer pointed out that those materials give the company exposure to demand for expanded energy sources.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
The stronger-than-expected results come as non-AI sectors are dealing with a severe semiconductor shortage as global foundries increasingly prioritize capacity for AI-related demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Some of the rest will be used to meet rising demand from housebuilding and data centres and to address pollutants known as "forever chemicals".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Both Super Micro and CoreWeave pointed to swelling backlogs reflecting ongoing customer demand for AI hardware.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
“First, your grandmother has the nerve to take you on some out-of-state field trip, without asking me. When I demand an explanation, all she says is ‘It had to be done.’
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Over the last six days of talks, Figuera met separately with representatives of political prisoners, retirees and media workers and promised to advocate for their demands.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
To meet those demands, Goldman is gobbling up active-ETF managers, having bought Innovator Capital Management for some $2 billion earlier this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Alice demands to know whether Rebecca considered any women for the head coaching job, sending Rebecca spiraling to prove she is, in fact, a feminist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The researchers adjusted the difficulty of the puzzles to determine which parts of the brain became more active as reasoning demands increased.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
“Get out of the car!” an angry voice demands.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
The lawmakers demanded that the VA disclose details about its shortage of mental health providers and the impact on veterans.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Australia's opposition leader Angus Taylor on Monday also criticised the gaffe as "insulting", and demanded that Albanese make a personal apology.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
He also demanded the lifting of a parallel US naval blockade of Iran, the end of sanctions, the release of frozen assets and compensation for wartime damage, according to remarks reported by Tasnim news agency.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
The White House demanded a response in 21 days.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
"What does it mean, 'One is cruel, one is fair'?" demanded Marlie.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
"He played because he was showing us his capacity to work and be demanding," said boss Emery.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Dozens of protesters rallied Wednesday outside a hotel hosting political transition talks in Venezuela's capital, demanding greater transparency from the authorities and opposition, AFP journalists observed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
However, the equipment used for electrolysis must withstand demanding chemical and electrical conditions, especially when salt is involved.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Now their voters will be demanding a real-world effect they can see and feel if Europe’s heat-wave and wildfire trends continue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
“I told that ridiculous tutor we were focusing on the wrong things. When I see Daddy, I’m demanding a new one.”
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
