needs

American

[needz] / nidz /

adverb

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

It must needs be so.
It needs must be.

needs British

/ niːdz /

adverb

(preceded or foll by must) of necessity

we must needs go
we will go, if needs must

"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

plural noun

what is required; necessities

the needs of the third world
his needs are modest

"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

Etymology

Origin of needs

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Electric Boat, a Groton-based manufacturer, needs to hire 8,000 workers by year’s end to meet Navy demand for nuclear submarines, which received $16 billion in new funding.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

"Many mesothermic fishes are already heavily impacted by overfishing of themselves and also their prey species, so their elevated energy needs make them especially vulnerable when their food becomes scarce."

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

I am the executor of a trust for my son with special needs.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

Bangladesh, with significant household needs for gas for cooking, is cut off from Middle East suppliers.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Hadn’t I resolved to do what needs to be done?

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023