demand

[ dih-mand, -mahnd ]

/ dɪˈmænd, -ˈmɑnd /

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See synonyms for: demand / demanded / demanding / demands on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to ask for with proper authority; claim as a right: He demanded payment of the debt.

to ask for peremptorily or urgently: He demanded sanctuary. She demanded that we let her in.

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

Law.

to lay formal legal claim to.
to summon, as to court.

verb (used without object)

to make a demand; inquire; ask.

noun

the act of demanding.

something that is demanded.

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

Economics.

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

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

Archaic. inquiry; question.

OTHER WORDS FOR demand

3 exact.

See synonyms for demand on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about demand

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

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

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 FROM demand

de·mand·a·ble, adjectivede·mand·er, nouncoun·ter·de·mand, nouno·ver·de·mand, verb, noun

pre·de·mand, verb (used with object)su·per·de·mand, nounun·de·mand·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use demand in a sentence

In September, Metro projected the money would run out by January, but belt-tightening and lower-than-expected service demands and fuel costs have allowed the aid to stretch until March.
Metro board approves budget cuts, buyouts as pandemic dents agency’s budget|Justin George|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Voi, along with Bird, Lime and other competitors in the shared e-scooter space, scaled back operations in response to sluggish demand early in the outbreak.
E-scooters are getting computer vision to curb pedestrian collisions|Dalvin Brown|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Kelly acknowledged that the apartment market is softer now than in the past, but he believes demand for apartments will return.
Amazon update: Second headquarters development and the area’s housing market|Michele Lerner|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Elsewhere in Virginia, officials in Prince William County said the county’s free testing sites have started running out of test kits as quickly as 30 minutes after they open because of the increased demand.
As holidays approach, wait times rise for coronavirus tests amid record spike in cases|Meagan Flynn, Michael Brice-Saddler, Julie Zauzmer, Rachel Chason|November 18, 2020|Washington Post

The problem is that even as the nation’s testing capacity expanded, so did demand.
Long lines and delayed results again plague coronavirus tests as Thanksgiving approaches|William Wan|November 18, 2020|Washington Post
He challenged the very core of the Iranian theocracy and demanded respect for basic human rights.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After fighting alongside her brothers for years in the 1980s, she demanded the women fighters be formally recognized.
Embedding With the Women Who Are Kicking ISIS Ass|Susannah George|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But were Americans ever so worked up about the practice that they demanded it not be undertaken in their name?
The U.S. Will Torture Again—and We’re All to Blame|Michael Tomasky|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was beaten by prison guards who demanded to know who had made me write against Islam.
What It’s Like to Be an Atheist in Palestine|Waleed al-Husseini, Movements.Org|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The cops also asked for “very public apology” from the team, and demanded that the five players be disciplined.
The St. Louis Rams Enter the Ferguson Fray|Sally Kohn|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the end of the first day Punch demanded to be set down in England, which he was certain must be close at hand.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
Grandfather Mole demanded of Mr. Meadow Mouse, almost as soon as he had stepped just outside the shade of the toadstool.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
But the novel disappeared under the clothes with amazing celerity as the voice of her sister-in-law demanded admission.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The Americans demanded the surrender of the Arsenal, the Admiral, and the surviving crews of the destroyed fleet.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
I have always demanded of you, demanded enormously, and received my measure pressed down and running over.
Uncanny Tales|Various

British Dictionary definitions for demand

demand

/ (dɪˈmɑːnd) /

verb (tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive)

to request peremptorily or urgently

to require or need as just, urgent, etcthe situation demands attention

to claim as a right; exacthis parents demanded obedience of him

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

noun

an urgent or peremptory requirement or request

something that requires special effort or sacrificea demand on one's time

the act of demanding something or the thing demandedthe kidnappers' demand was a million pounds

an insistent question or query

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 priceCompare supply 1 (def. 9)

law a formal legal claim, esp to real property

in demand sought after; popular

on demand as soon as requesteda draft payable on demand

Derived forms of demand

demandable, adjectivedemander, noun

Word Origin for demand

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

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.)

Other Idioms and Phrases with demand

demand

see in demand; make demands on; on demand.

demand

OTHER WORDS FOR demand

Idioms about demand

Origin of demand

synonym study for demand

OTHER WORDS FROM demand

Words related to demand

How to use demand in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for demand

Derived forms of demand

Word Origin for demand

Cultural definitions for demand

Other Idioms and Phrases with demand