need/nid/USA pronunciationn., v.,auxiliary v., pres. sing. 3rd pers.need. n.
a necessary duty or obligation:[countable]There is no need to go there.
a lack of something wanted or necessary:[countable]the needs of the poor.
urgent want:[uncountable]They have need of your charity.
a situation or time of difficulty:[uncountable]to help a friend in need.
great or extreme poverty:[uncountable]The family's need is acute.
v.[not: be + ~-ing]
to have need of; require: [~ + object]Fish need water.[~ + verb-ing]The lawn needed mowing.[~ + to + verb]You need to mow the lawn.[~ + object + to + verb]Do you need me to help with the dishes?
auxiliary v.[~ + root form of a verb]
(used to express an obligation or necessity of the action of the main verb):[with a negative word or phrase, or in a question]Need I say more? (= Should I say more?). You needn't drive so fast.
Idioms
Idiomsif need be, should the necessity come about:We'll simply buy more if need be.
need is a verb and a noun, needy is an adjective:I need a few good soldiers to volunteer. His needs are simple: food, clothing, and shelter. The organization helps needy people.
a requirement, necessary duty, or obligation:There is no need for you to go there.
a lack of something wanted or deemed necessary:to fulfill the needs of the assignment.
urgent want, as of something requisite:He has no need of your charity.
necessity arising from the circumstances of a situation or case:There is no need to worry.
a situation or time of difficulty; exigency:to help a friend in need; to be a friend in need.
a condition marked by the lack of something requisite:the need for leadership.
destitution; extreme poverty:The family's need is acute.
Idiomsif need be, should the necessity arise:If need be, I can type the letters myself.
v.t.
to have need of; require:to need money.
v.i.
to be under an obligation (used as an auxiliary, typically in an interrogative or in a negative statement, and fol. by infinitive, in certain cases without to; in the 3d pers. sing. the form is need, not needs):He need not go.
to be in need or want.
to be necessary:There needs no apology.
bef. 900; (noun, nominal) Middle English nede, Old English nēd (WSaxon nīed), cognate with German Not, Old Norse nauth, Gothic nauths; (verb, verbal) Middle English neden, Old English nēodian, derivative of the noun, nominal
need′er, n.
2, 3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See lack.
3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged requirement.
4.See corresponding entry in UnabridgedNeed,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.
5.See corresponding entry in Unabridged emergency.
7.See corresponding entry in Unabridged neediness, indigence, penury, privation. See poverty.
9.See corresponding entry in Unabridged want, lack.
(transitive)to require or be required of necessity (to be or do something); be obliged: to need to do more work
(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 she go?
(intransitive)to be essential or necessary to: there needs no reason for this
the fact or an instance of feeling the lack of something: I have 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
Etymology: Old English nēad, nied; related to Old Frisian nēd, Old Saxon nōd, Old High German nōt
'not needed' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):