need meaning and definition

NEED noun

Definition of need (noun)

1. a condition requiring relief
   • "she satisfied his need for affection"; "God has no need of men to accomplish His work"; "there is a demand for jobs"
   • synonyms: demand
2. anything that is necessary but lacking
   • "he had sufficient means to meet his simple needs"; "I tried to supply his wants"
   • synonyms: want
3. the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
   • "we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives"
   • synonyms: motivation, motive
4. a state of extreme poverty or destitution
   • "their indigence appalled him"; "a general state of need exists among the homeless"
   • synonyms: indigence, pauperism, pauperization, penury

NEED verb

Definition of need (verb)

1. require as useful, just, or proper
   • "It takes nerve to do what she did"; "success usually requires hard work"; "This job asks a lot of patience and skill"; "This position demands a lot of personal sacrifice"; "This dinner calls for a spectacular dessert"; "This intervention does not postulate a patient's consent"
   • synonyms: ask, call for, demand, involve, necessitate, postulate, require, take
   • antonym: eliminate
2. have need of
   • "This piano wants the attention of a competent tuner"
   • synonyms: require, want
3. have or feel a need for
   • "always needing friends and money"