need
need Lexical Profile
need Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Circumstances in which something is necessary, or that require some course of action; necessity.
"There is an urgent need for better public transportation in the growing city."
A thing that is wanted or required because it is essential or very important rather than merely desirable.
"Clean drinking water and adequate shelter are basic human needs."
A state of felt lack or deficiency, especially a lack of money, food, or other basic resources; poverty or distress.
"The community center distributes warm winter clothing to families in need."
• verb
To require something because it is essential or very important rather than just desirable.
"Plants need sunlight and water in order to grow properly."
To be under an obligation or necessity to do something (used with an infinitive or as a modal auxiliary).
"You need not worry about the arrangements, as everything has been handled."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Need' can function both as an ordinary transitive verb followed by a noun or to-infinitive (e.g., 'She needs to leave') and, especially in formal or negative contexts, as a semi-modal auxiliary verb without 'to' or third-person '-s' inflection (e.g., 'She need not worry').
• Rhymes for need
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English nēd or nīed ('necessity, compulsion, hardship'), derived from Proto-Germanic *naudiz, which is cognate with German Not and Dutch nood.