need

[need]

noun

1. a requirement, necessary duty, or obligation.

   There is no need for you to go there.

2. a lack of something wanted or deemed necessary.

   to fulfill the needs of the assignment.

3. urgent want, as of something requisite.

   He has no need of your charity.

   Synonyms: requirement

4. necessity arising from the circumstances of a situation or case.

   There is no need to worry.

5. a situation or time of difficulty; exigency.

   to help a friend in need;

   to be a friend in need.

   Synonyms: emergency

6. a condition marked by the lack of something requisite.

   the need for leadership.

7. destitution; extreme poverty.

   The family's need is acute.

   Synonyms: privation, penury, indigence, neediness
   Antonyms: wealth

verb (used with object)

1. to have need of; require.

   to need money.

   Synonyms: lack, want, want

verb (used without object)

1. to be under an obligation (used as an auxiliary, typically in an interrogative or in a negative statement, and followed by infinitive, in certain cases without to; in the 3d person singular the form is need, notneeds ).

   He need not go.

2. to be in need or want.

3. to be necessary.

   There needs no apology.

need

/ niːd /

verb

1. (tr) to be in want of

   to need money

2. (tr) to require or be required of necessity (to be or do something); be obliged

   to need to do more work

3. (takes an infinitive without to) used as an auxiliary in negative and interrogative sentences to express necessity or obligation, and does not add -s when used with he, she, it, and singular nouns

   need he go?

4. archaic,  (intr) to be essential or necessary to

   there needs no reason for this

noun

1. the fact or an instance of feeling the lack of something

   he has need of a new coat

2. a requirement

   the need for vengeance

3. necessity or obligation resulting from some situation

   no need to be frightened

4. distress or extremity

   a friend in need

5. extreme poverty or destitution; penury

Other Word Forms

• needer noun
• unneeded adjective
• well-needed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of need¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun nede, Old English nēd ( West Saxon nīed ), cognate with German Not, Old Norse nauth, Gothic nauths

Word History and Origins

Origin of need¹

Old English nēad, nied; related to Old Frisian nēd, Old Saxon nōd, Old High German nōt

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. if need be, should the necessity arise.

   If need be, I can type the letters myself.

More idioms and phrases containing need

• cry for (crying need for).

Synonym Study

Need, necessity imply a want, a lack, or a demand, which must be filled. Need, a word of Old English origin, has connotations that make it strong in emotional appeal: the need to be appreciated. Necessity, a word of Latin origin, is more formal and impersonal or objective; though much stronger than need in expressing urgency or imperative demand, it is less effective in appealing to the emotions: Water is a necessity for living things.

Example Sentences

They’re willing to accept that their creator is an omnipotent being that’s there with the answers that we don’t need to know for our safety or for whatever divine reason.

From Los Angeles Times

“So anyway, when I got around to it, the doctor said, ‘We need to take care of this, we need to take care of that.’”

From Los Angeles Times

“His actions — and those of his Cabinet — are against our deeply held American values. He needs to stop this illegal charade now.”

From Los Angeles Times

When pressed Tuesday on why he needed to wait for the full House’s return to hold the ceremony, the speaker told CNN that “we’ll schedule it, I guess, as soon as she wants.”

From Salon

We know how well-coached they are and know we need to be fully focused to not let them develop their quality.

From BBC

Related Words

• commitment 
• demand 
• obligation 
• right 
• urgency 
• use 
• wish 

When To Use

What are other ways to say need?

To need something is to have need of it. How does need compare to synonyms want, lack, and require? Find out on Thesaurus.com.