needs

[ needz ]

/ nidz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR needs ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

of necessity; necessarily (usually preceded or followed by must): It must needs be so. It needs must be.

Nearby words

needlestick, needlewoman, needlework, needling, needn't, needs, needs test, needways, needy, neem, neem tree

Origin of needs

before 1000; Middle English nedis, Old English nēdes, orig. genitive of nēd need; see -s¹

Definition for needs (2 of 2)

need

[ need ]

/ nid /

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.

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

SYNONYMS FOR need

3 requirement.

5 emergency.

7 neediness, indigence, penury, privation.

8 want, lack.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR need ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR need

7 wealth.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR need ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsneed·er, nounun·need·ed, adjectivewell-need·ed, adjective

Synonym study

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for needs

“The institution of marraige [sic] is under attack in our society and it needs to be strengthened,” Bush wrote.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But the other thing that needs to be done is for us citizens to do.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Ney said McDonnell needs to “keep a stiff lip” and stay in close contact with family members.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv|Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Following the Apatow references, Marge informs Homer that she needs to use the “Porta Potty.”
Here’s the Lost Judd Apatow ‘Simpsons’ Episode, Penned by Judd Apatow|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

It needs to be said: bigotry in the name of religion is still bigotry; child abuse wrapped in a Bible verse is still child abuse.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Now you can keep that money and pay it out to Marie as she needs it, for herself and the kid.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
The mind is apt to tire and needs rousing continually, otherwise the work will lack the impulse that shall make it vital.
The Practice and Science Of Drawing|Harold Speed
Yet they speak the sweet message that needs no interpreting.
A "Y Girl in France|Katherine Shortall
Involuntarily she got up, holding out her arms to him, offering herself to his needs, with her frightened eyes fixed on his.
Birthright|T.S. Stribling
Sergeant, there is some mystery here that needs to be unravelled.
The Cabin on the Prairie|C. H. (Charles Henry) Pearson

British Dictionary definitions for needs (1 of 2)

needs

/ (niːdz) /

adverb

(preceded or foll by must) of necessitywe must needs go; we will go, if needs must

pl n

what is required; necessitiesthe needs of the third world; his needs are modest

British Dictionary definitions for needs (2 of 2)

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

Word Origin and History for needs (1 of 3)

needs

adv.

"of necessity, necessarily," in archaic constructions involving must (late 14c.) is from Old English nede, instrumental and genitive singular of nied (see need), used as an adverb reinforcing must, hence the genitive ending.

Word Origin and History for needs (1 of 3)

need

Old English nied (West Saxon), ned (Mercian) "necessity, compulsion, duty; hardship, distress; errand, business," originally "violence, force," from Proto-Germanic *nauthis (cf. Old Saxon nod, Old Norse nauðr, Old Frisian ned, Middle Dutch, Dutch nood, Old High German not, German Not, Gothic nauþs "need"), probably cognate with Old Prussian nautin "need," and perhaps with Old Church Slavonic nazda, Russian nuzda, Polish nędza "misery, distress," from PIE *nau- "death, to be exhausted" (see narwhal).

The more common Old English word for "need, necessity, want" was ðearf, but they were connected via a notion of "trouble, pain," and the two formed a compound, niedðearf "need, necessity, compulsion, thing needed." Nied also might have been influenced by Old English neod "desire, longing," which often was spelled the same. Common in Old English compounds, e.g. niedfaru "compulsory journey," a euphemism for "death;" niedhæmed "rape," the second element being an Old English word meaning "sexual intercourse;" niedling "slave." Meaning "extreme poverty, destitution" is from c.1200.

Word Origin and History for needs (2 of 3)

need

Old English neodian "be necessary, be required (for some purpose); require, have need of," from the same root as need (n.). Meaning "to be under obligation (to do something)" is from late 14c. Related: Needed; needing. The adjectival phrase need-to-know is attested from 1952. Dismissive phrase who needs it?, popular from c.1960, is a translated Yiddishism.

Idioms and Phrases with needs

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).

needs

adverb

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of needs

Definition for needs (2 of 2)

need

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of need

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for needs

British Dictionary definitions for needs (1 of 2)

needs

adverb

pl n

British Dictionary definitions for needs (2 of 2)

need

verb

noun

Word Origin for need

Word Origin and History for needs (1 of 3)

needs

Word Origin and History for needs (1 of 3)

need

Word Origin and History for needs (2 of 3)

need

Idioms and Phrases with needs

need