Definition of 'need'

Word Frequency

need

(niːd )

Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense needs , present participle needing , past tense, past participle needed Need sometimes behaves like an ordinary verb, for example 'She needs to know' and 'She doesn't need to know' and sometimes like a modal, for example 'She need know', 'She needn't know', or, in more formal English, 'She need not know.'

1. verb [no cont]

If you need something, or need to do something, you cannot successfully achieve what you want or live properly without it.

He desperately needed money. [VERB noun]

These diets provide everything your body needs. [VERB noun]

I need to make a phone call. [VERB to-infinitive]

A baby does not need to wear shoes until he starts to walk. [VERB to-infinitive]

I need you to do something for me. [VERB noun to-infinitive]

I need you here, Wally. [VERB noun adverb/preposition]

I need you sane and sober. [VERB noun adjective]

Synonyms: want, miss, require, lack More Synonyms of need

Need is also a noun.

Charles has never felt the need to compete with anyone.

...the child who never had his need for attention and importance satisfied. [+ for]

...the special nutritional needs of the elderly. [+ of]

2. verb [no cont]

If an object or place needs something doing to it, that action should be done to improve the object or place. If a task needs doing, it should be done to improve a particular situation.

The building needs quite a few repairs. [VERB noun]

...a garden that needs tidying. [VERB verb-ing]

The taste of vitamins is not too nice so the flavour sometimes needs to be disguised. [VERB to-infinitive]

Synonyms: require, want, demand, call for More Synonyms of need

3. singular noun [NOUN to-infinitive]

If there is a need for something, that thing would improve a situation or something cannot happen without it.

Mr Forrest believes there is a need for other similar schools throughout Britain. [+ for]

'I think we should see a specialist.'—'I don't think there's any need for that.' [+ for]

There's no need for you to stay. [+ for]

Synonyms: necessity, call, demand, requirement More Synonyms of need

4. modal verb [with neg]

If you say that someone needn't do something, you are telling them not to do it, or advising or suggesting that they should not do it.

'I'll put the key in the window.'—'You needn't bother,' he said gruffly.

Look, you needn't shout.

She need not know I'm here.

Synonyms: have to, be obliged to More Synonyms of need

Need is also a verb.

Well, for Heaven's sake, you don't need to apologize. [VERB to-infinitive]

Come along, Mother, we don't need to take up any more of Mr Kemp's time. [VERB to-infinitive]

5. modal verb

If you tell someone that they needn't do something, or that something needn't happen, you are telling them that that thing is not necessary, in order to make them feel better.

You needn't worry.

This needn't take long, Simon.

Buying budget-priced furniture needn't mean compromising on quality or style.

Loneliness can be horrible, but it need not remain that way.

He need never drink again if he doesn't want to.

Need is also a verb.

He replied, with a reassuring smile, 'Oh, you don't need to worry about them.' [VERB to-infinitive]

You don't need to be a millionaire to consider having a bank account in Switzerland. [VERB to-infinitive]

6. modal verb [with neg]

You use needn't when you are giving someone permission not to do something.

You needn't come again, if you don't want to.

Well, you needn't tell me anything if you don't want to.

Need is also a verb.

You don't need to wait for me. [VERB to-infinitive]

Mommy, you don't need to stay while we talk. [VERB to-infinitive]

7. modal verb [with neg]

If something need not be true, it is not necessarily true or not always true.

[formal]

What is right for us need not be right for others.

Freedom need not mean independence.

8. modal verb [with neg]

If someone needn't have done something, it was not necessary or useful for them to do it, although they did it.

She could have made the sandwich herself; her mum needn't have bothered to do anything.

I was a little nervous when I announced my engagement to Grace, but I needn't have worried.

We spent a hell of a lot of money that we needn't have spent.

If someone didn't need to do something, they needn't have done it.

You didn't need to give me any more money you know, but thank you. [VERB to-infinitive]

9. modal verb

You use need in expressions such as I need hardly say and I needn't add to emphasize that the person you are talking to already knows what you are going to say.

[emphasis]

I needn't add that if you fail to do as I ask, you will suffer the consequences.

Need is also a verb.

I hardly need to say that I have never lost contact with him. [VERB to-infinitive]

10. modal verb

You can use need in expressions such as 'Need I say more' and 'Need I go on' when you want to avoid stating an obvious consequence of something you have just said.

Mid-fifties, short black hair, grey moustache, distinctive Russian accent. Need I go on?

11.

in need

12.

in need of

13.

if need be/if needs be

14.

someone needs to get out more

15.

there's no need/no need

16.

who needs sth?

More Synonyms of need

Video: pronunciation of 'need'

Word Frequency

need in British

(niːd )

verb

1. (transitive)

to be in want of

to need money

2. (transitive)

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. (intransitive) archaic

to be essential or necessary to

there needs no reason for this

noun

the fact or an instance of feeling the lack of something

he has need of a new coat

a requirement

the need for vengeance

necessity or obligation resulting from some situation

no need to be frightened

distress or extremity

a friend in need

extreme poverty or destitution; penury

Word origin of 'need'

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

Word Frequency

need in American

(nid ; nēd)

noun

necessity or obligation created by some situation

no need to worry

a lack of something useful, required, or desired

to have need of a rest

something useful, required, or desired that is lacking; want; requirement

list your daily needs

a condition in which there is a deficiency of something, or one requiring relief or supply

a friend in need

a condition of poverty, or extreme want

verb transitive

to have need of; want or lack; require

need is often used as an auxiliary, either uninflected and followed by an infinitive without to, or inflected and followed by an infinitive with to, meaning “to be obliged, must”

he need not come, he needs to be careful

verb intransitive

6. Archaic

to be necessary; chiefly in impersonal constructions

it needs not

to be in need

SIMILAR WORDS: lack

Idioms:

have need to

if need be

SYNONYMY NOTE: need refers to an urgent requirement of something essential or desirable that is lacking; , necessity, a more formal word, suggests an imperative need for something indispensable but lacks the emotional connotations of , need [they are in need of food, food is a necessity for all living things]; exigency refers to a necessity created by some emergency, crisis, or compelling circumstances [the exigencies created by the flood]; requisite applies to something that is indispensable to a particular end or goal [a sense of rhythm is a requisite in a dancer] needs

Derived forms

needer (ˈneeder)

noun

Word origin of 'need'

ME nede < OE nied, akin to Ger not, Goth nauths < IE *neuti- < base *neu-, to collapse with weariness > Welsh newyn, starvation

Example sentences containing 'need'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

There may come a time when such cases do not need to come to court. Times, Sunday Times (2016)In a good economy you only need to worry about bad people doing bad things. Computing (2010)Say you need his help to rebuild the trust and help you feel secure again. The Sun (2016)You may also need to display these in a group task. The Sun (2016)What is needed in this situation is an independent body to step in. Times, Sunday Times (2016)We in the care sector need money and we need it now. Times, Sunday Times (2016)You need to see it in motion. Times, Sunday Times (2016)We just need him to stay fit as he is one of the best around. The Sun (2016)You will probably need to ask for an assessment. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Some say you need to drink lots to get the benefit - as much as six cups a day. Times, Sunday Times (2016)The service brings in business because many accountants realise that their cases need a specialist. Times, Sunday Times (2006)We needed to take money to make sure people had the money they said they had. Times, Sunday Times (2013)They need to be helped to regain their dignity as human beings. The Sun (2012)This recipe is so simple that it hardly needs instructions. Times, Sunday Times (2011)You scarcely needed to ask your boyfriend how she feels. Times, Sunday Times (2008)You always see more needs at the end of a day than you recognized at the beginning. Christianity Today (2000)You need to stay in there a minimum of eight or nine hours. Times, Sunday Times (2013)You will also need to buy a suitable plinth and an arm. Times, Sunday Times (2012)You need something very special to get past them. Times, Sunday Times (2016)We will always need and want more military muscle than we can afford. Times, Sunday Times (2011)Too often their basic needs are not met. Times, Sunday Times (2012)The other was just a rubbish penalty that did not need to go in. The Sun (2015)We need to improve our transport networks. Times, Sunday Times (2006)We need a similar focus on value in terms of our beneficiaries. Times, Sunday Times (2015)You need to think how can you make your delivery as effective as possible. Times, Sunday Times (2012)The extra work force was needed to meet the deadline. Kiam, Victor Going For It!: How to Succeed As an Entrepreneur (1986)Need a case to prove your point? Times, Sunday Times (2006) Say you need more of his time and attention or the moving arrangements are off - for good. The Sun (2012)