Synonyms

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; -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.

However, it also notes that mountaineers "should be prepared to make compromises in order to balance the needs and abilities of all the group".

From BBC

“There needs to be commitment, not only on spending more, but it even needs to be a commitment on keeping the current infrastructure up,” de Pagter said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hopefully she will find the tram she needs to get home on Sunday.

From BBC

As the years went by and they bought a house and had two children, they stayed in their lanes, with her managing the kids’ lives and household needs and Sane managing the bills.

From The Wall Street Journal

Iona is perched on a table by a windowsill, stapling albums to the ceiling as decor to liven up the record store she runs — not that the place needs much livening-up, considering Iona’s look.

From Salon

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