need
[ need ]
/ nid /
noun
verb (used with object)
to have need of; require: to need money.
verb (used without object)
SYNONYMS FOR need
QUIZZES
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Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
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, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for need
British Dictionary definitions for need
need
/ (niːd) /
verb
noun
See also needs
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
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Idioms and Phrases with need
need
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.