need

[ need ]

noun

1. a requirement, necessary duty, or obligation:

   There is no need for you to go there.

2. a lack of something wanted or deemed necessary:

   to fulfill the needs of the assignment.

3. urgent want, as of something requisite:

   He has no need of your charity.

   Synonyms: requirement

4. necessity arising from the circumstances of a situation or case:

   There is no need to worry.

5. a situation or time of difficulty; exigency:

   to help a friend in need;

   to be a friend in need.

   Synonyms: emergency

6. a condition marked by the lack of something requisite:

   the need for leadership.

7. destitution; extreme poverty:

   The family's need is acute.

   Synonyms: privation, penury, indigence, neediness

   Antonyms: wealth

verb (used with object)

1. to have need of; require:

   to need money.

   Synonyms: lack, want

verb (used without object)

1. 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.

2. to be in need or want.
3. to be necessary:

   There needs no apology.

need

/ niːd /

verb

1. tr to be in want of

   to need money

2. tr to require or be required of necessity (to be or do something); be obliged

   to need to do more work

3. 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 nouns

   need he go?

4. archaic.
   intr to be essential or necessary to

   there needs no reason for this

noun

1. the fact or an instance of feeling the lack of something

   he has need of a new coat

2. a requirement

   the need for vengeance

3. necessity or obligation resulting from some situation

   no need to be frightened

4. distress or extremity

   a friend in need

5. extreme poverty or destitution; penury

Other Words From

• needer noun
• un·needed adjective
• well-needed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of need¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun nede, Old English nēd ( West Saxon nīed ), cognate with German Not, Old Norse nauth, Gothic nauths

Word History and Origins

Origin of need¹

Old English nēad, nied; related to Old Frisian nēd, Old Saxon nōd, Old High German nōt

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. if need be, should the necessity arise:

   If need be, I can type the letters myself.

More idioms and phrases containing need

In addition to the idiom beginning with need , also see cry for (crying need for). .

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

“We need a new approach to our digital interactions that recognizes the fundamental rights of individuals to safeguard their bodily data, an issue that speaks directly to human autonomy and dignity,” Keserű said.

From Los Angeles Times

Even if you pay 10% more for an item next year, for example, it could be better rather than buying something now that you end up not really needing.

From Salon

And researchers will likely need to develop speedier versions to be practical.

From Science Magazine

Newman argued there still needed to be "clarity" about whether the civil service knew of certain donations before appointing Sargeant, Middleton and Corfield.

From BBC

“We need affordable housing everywhere — in every neighborhood,” said Maria Patiño Gutierrez, a policy director with the nonprofit Strategic Actions for a Just Economy.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• commitment
• demand
• obligation
• right
• urgency
• use
• wish

When To Use

What are other ways to say need?

To need something is to have need of it. How does need compare to synonyms want, lack, and require? Find out on Thesaurus.com.