need

[ need ]

/ nid /

See synonyms for: need / needed / needing / needs on Thesaurus.com

noun

a requirement, necessary duty, or obligation: There is no need for you to go there.

a lack of something wanted or deemed necessary: to fulfill the needs of the assignment.

urgent want, as of something requisite: He has no need of your charity.

necessity arising from the circumstances of a situation or case: There is no need to worry.

a situation or time of difficulty; exigency: to help a friend in need; to be a friend in need.

a condition marked by the lack of something requisite: the need for leadership.

destitution; extreme poverty: The family's need is acute.

verb (used with object)

to have need of; require: to need money.

verb (used without object)

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, not needs): He need not go.

to be in need or want.

to be necessary: There needs no apology.

SYNONYMS FOR need

3 requirement.

5 emergency.

7 neediness, indigence, penury, privation.

8 want, lack.

See synonyms for need on Thesaurus.com

ANTONYMS FOR need

7 wealth.

See antonyms for need on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for need

if need be, should the necessity arise: If need be, I can type the letters myself.

Origin of need

before 900; (noun) Middle English nede,Old English nēd (WSaxon nīed), cognate with German Not,Old Norse nauth,Gothic nauths; (v.) Middle English neden,Old English nēodian, derivative of the noun

synonym study for need

2, 3. See lack. 4. 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. 7. See poverty.

OTHER WORDS FROM need

needer, nounun·need·ed, adjectivewell-needed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for need

Equity would mean we drive more vaccine doses to the countries most in need.
Who should get the Covid-19 vaccine first? Ethicists are fiercely debating how to vaccinate billions of people.|Sigal Samuel|November 20, 2020|Vox
The development of a vaccine—particularly at the scale of supporting the needs of the entire population—takes time.
We can’t rely on just one company to distribute COVID vaccines|jakemeth|November 20, 2020|Fortune
Eric Schoenstein, a managing director and portfolio manager at Jensen Investment Management, likes Stryker, a top producer of orthopedic implants, joint replacements, and other technology that caters to the needs of an aging population.
The 21 best stocks to buy for 2021|Anne Sraders|November 20, 2020|Fortune
Covington, who is under contract for the next two seasons, cleanly fills that need.
NBA free agency tracker (plus trades): Warriors acquire Kelly Oubre; 76ers trade Al Horford to Thunder|Ben Golliver|November 20, 2020|Washington Post

Electrocoagulation could add 25 to 60 million gallons a day of cleaner water to the region’s needs, he estimated.
Two Companies See a Golden Opportunity in the Tijuana River’s Brown Waters|MacKenzie Elmer|November 20, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Satirists occupy a perilous position—to skewer dogma and cant, and to antagonize the establishment while needing its protection.
Harry Shearer on The Dangerous Business of Satire|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Those wishing—or needing—to give it up will be forced to do so on their own, without the support of formal medical care.
Iran’s Drinking Problem|IranWire|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many of the reasons these women claim for not needing feminism are embarrassingly bad.
You Don’t Hate Feminism. You Just Don’t Understand It.|Emily Shire|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“If it had happened an hour earlier…” Patterson began to say then stopped, not needing to voice the implication.
My Building Exploded. I Survived: Harlem Miracle Man Tells His Story|Michael Daly|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He did mention the possibility of needing a kidney one day, which I guess is something.
Should You Divorce Your Family After the Holidays?|Keli Goff|January 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He came to be one not needing anything to be that one but complete remembering that he had arranged that thing.
Matisse Picasso and Gertrude Stein|Gertrude Stein
During the week he spent in the region, needing the services of a likely boy, he came to know and like Silas.
The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories|Paul Laurence Dunbar
I haven't been able to save any money, and my mother is an invalid, needing much care.
Joe Strong, the Boy Fish|Vance Barnum
And was it not possible, yea, even likely that his aunt might be needing a bonnet right away.
Flood Tide|Sara Ware Bassett
She was still in her room, however, needing rest, and sent down word that she would rather be alone until the evening.
The Tremendous Event|Maurice Leblanc

British Dictionary definitions for need

need

/ (niːd) /

verb

(tr) to be in want ofto need money

(tr) to require or be required of necessity (to be or do something); be obligedto need to do more work

(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 nounsneed he go?

(intr) archaic to be essential or necessary tothere needs no reason for this

noun

the fact or an instance of feeling the lack of somethinghe has need of a new coat

a requirementthe need for vengeance

necessity or obligation resulting from some situationno need to be frightened

distress or extremitya friend in need

extreme poverty or destitution; penury

Word Origin for need

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

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

Idioms and Phrases with need

need

In addition to the idiom beginning with need

needle in a haystack
needless to say
need like a hole in the head

also see:

cry for (crying need for).

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need