need

[ need ]

/ nid /

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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.

OTHER WORDS FOR need

3 requirement.

5 emergency.

7 neediness, indigence, penury, privation.

8 want, lack.

See synonyms for need on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR need

7 wealth.

See antonyms for need on Thesaurus.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?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about 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

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM need

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

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

How to use need in a sentence

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
Back then, no one ever imagined needing to beam live video to ground troops from a fighter jet.
Newest U.S. Stealth Fighter ‘10 Years Behind’ Older Jets|Dave Majumdar|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Just wanted to place it in the context of slates needing picture choices that throw off revenue to make the numbers work.
Inside Sony’s ‘Pineapple Express 2 Drama’: Leaked Emails Reveal Fight Over Stoner Comedy Sequel|William Boot|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
De la Renta was a confident thoroughbred, never needing to scream for attention.
Fashion Designer Oscar de la Renta, American Great, Dead at 82|Tim Teeman|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
WardsWiki (as it became known) allowed anyone to edit and contribute, without even needing a password.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story|Walter Isaacson|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was a fact, needing no attestation, that the mass of mankind had always lived in a state of slavery.
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair
This matter is one concerning my devotions—a private matter surely, and needing no confessions from you.
Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays|Various
Jealous possibly of a too brilliant general, certainly averse from costly and fruitless campaigns and needing the Legio II.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
Very true, in other days, the bank had given him a rating as not needing endorsers if he sought a loan.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
Here was one who said exactly the right things, without needing any prompting whatever.
The Talking Horse|F. Anstey

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

Other 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).

need

OTHER WORDS FOR need

OPPOSITES FOR need

Idioms about need

Origin of need

synonym study for need

OTHER WORDS FROM need

Words related to need

How to use need in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for need

Word Origin for need

Other Idioms and Phrases with need