# needs

Pronunciation: say "NEEDZ" US /nidz/, UK /niːdz/

## Verb

1. Third-person singular simple present of need. — third-person singular simple present indicative of need
   - Simple: Third-person singular simple present of need. Use it with he, she, it, or a singular noun such as the dog or water.
   - _The engine needs fresh oil before the long drive._
   - _Every plant in the greenhouse needs light and steady warmth._

## Noun

2. Plural of need. — plural of need
   - Simple: Plural of need. Use this form when talking about more than one need.
   - _A good teacher adapts lessons to the different needs of each student._
   - _The budget balances the city's competing needs for housing and transit._

## Adverb

3. Of necessity; necessarily, typically accompanied, directly or indirectly, by an auxiliary verb, most often 'must'. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Of necessity, used with 'must' to show that something cannot be avoided.
   - _He must needs obey the king's command, however harsh it seemed._
   - _A soldier far from home must needs sleep wherever shelter can be found._

## Origin

**Meaning 3** — From Middle English nedes ("of necessity, unavoidably"), from Old English nēdes or nīedes ("of necessity; not willingly"), formed from nīed plus a suffix that made adverbs from nouns. It is equivalent to "need" with an adverb-forming -s.
**Meaning 2** — From "need" plus the suffix -s.
**Meaning 1** — From "need" plus the suffix -s.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/needs (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).