needs

American  

[needz] / nidz /

adverb

1. of necessity; necessarily (usually preceded or followed bymust ).

   It must needs be so.

   It needs must be.

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needs British  

/ niːdz /

adverb

1. (preceded or foll by must) of necessity

   we must needs go

   we will go, if needs must

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plural noun

1. what is required; necessities

   the needs of the third world

   his needs are modest

Etymology

Origin of needs

First recorded before 1000; Middle English nedis, Old English nēdes, originally genitive of nēd need; see -s ¹

Example Sentences

Ian Buck, Nvidia’s vice president for hyperscale and high-performance computing, said that the rise of agentic AI has made it impossible to address customer needs using just powerful chips or even custom servers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

"My thought was, well, if I don't take that, they're going to lay off one of the younger scientists who needs this job much more than I do," he said.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

But, to have cheaper bills and secure energy supplies in future, he says the country needs to transition towards renewable sources including solar and wind power backed by nuclear generation.

From BBC • May 31, 2026

Raman says L.A. needs new leadership to address housing affordability and homelessness.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

“The funeral was a week ago, so I hope so. There’s something I need to give him. Besides, I’m sure the office needs my attention. All that paperwork isn’t going to take care of itself.”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam