Need
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /niːd/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Need is a noun meaning (countable and uncountable) A requirement for something; something needed.
Meaning
(countable and uncountable) A requirement for something; something needed.
More Meanings
- A desire or craving for the satisfaction of a requirement perceived as essential or primal.
- Lack of means of subsistence; poverty; indigence; destitution.
- (transitive) To have an absolute requirement for.
- (transitive) To want strongly; to feel that one must have something.
- (modal, chiefly in the negative and interrogative) To be obliged or required (to do something).
- (intransitive) To be required; to be necessary.
- (obsolete, transitive) To be necessary (to someone).
Example Sentences
Our needs are not being met.
Being so great, I have no need to beg.
Be governed by your needs, not by your fancy.
She grew irritated with his constant need for attention.
Word Forms
- needs
- needing
- needed
- needest
- neededst
- needeth
Synonyms for need
Depending on context, synonyms include desire, want, will, lack, require, occasion.
Antonyms for need
Common opposites include obviate, eliminate.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include necessitate, must, have, ought, require, demand.
Related Dictionary Tools
Practice “need” in a Crossword
Recall this definition from a clue, use crossing letters, and review the word again when you solve it.
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.