Dictionary.com
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of must

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English most(e), Old English mōste (past tense); cognate with German musste. See mote2

synonym study for must

1. Must, ought, should express necessity or duty. Must expresses necessity or compulsion: I must attend to those patients first. Soldiers must obey orders. Ought (weaker than must ) expresses obligation, duty, desirability: You ought to tell your mother. Should expresses obligation, expectation, or probability: You are not behaving as you should. Children should be taught to speak the truth. They should arrive at one o'clock.

Other definitions for must (2 of 4)

must2
[ muhst ]
/ mʌst /

noun
new wine; the unfermented juice as pressed from the grape or other fruit.

Origin of must

2
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English, from Latin mustum, short for vīnum mustum “new wine”

Other definitions for must (3 of 4)

must3
[ muhst ]
/ mʌst /

noun
mold; moldiness; mustiness: a castle harboring the must of centuries.

Origin of must

3
First recorded in 1595–1605; back formation from musty1

Other definitions for must (4 of 4)

must4
[ muhst ]
/ mʌst /
Obsolete

noun
musk, especially a powder made from musk.
verb (used with object)
to powder (the hair).

Origin of must

4
First recorded in 1480–90; earlier moist, from Middle French must, variant of musc; see origin at musk
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use must in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for must (1 of 5)

must1
/ (mʌst, unstressed məst, məs) /

verb (takes an infinitive without to or an implied infinitive)
noun
an essential or necessary thingstrong shoes are a must for hill walking

Word Origin for must

Old English mōste past tense of mōtan to be allowed, be obliged to; related to Old Saxon mōtan, Old High German muozan, German müssen

British Dictionary definitions for must (2 of 5)

must2
/ (mʌst) /

noun
mustiness or mould

Word Origin for must

C17: back formation from musty

British Dictionary definitions for must (3 of 5)

must3
/ (mʌst) /

noun
the newly pressed juice of grapes or other fruit ready for fermentation

Word Origin for must

Old English, from Latin mustum new wine, must, from mustus (adj) newborn

British Dictionary definitions for must (4 of 5)

must4
/ (mʌst) /

noun
a variant spelling of musth

British Dictionary definitions for must (5 of 5)

must-

combining form
indicating that something is highly recommended or desirablea must-see film; this season's must-haves
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with must

must

see a must; show must go on.

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