[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/need.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / need [← N](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/N/) # need «need» in Mova's school dictionary: **to have to have it, because you cannot do well without it** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it. ### part of speech verb (need, needs, needed, needing); modal (need not, needn't); noun (a need, needs) ### meaning for a pupil 1) To need something is to have to have it, because you cannot do well without it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#m1) 2) To need to do something is to have to do it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#m2) 3) A need is something a person or animal must have, like food, water and a home. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#m3) 4) «Needn't» means do not have to: «You needn't come». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#m4) 5) (casual) «Need» is often said for «want»: «I need that game!»; «need a hand?» means can I help. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#m5) 6) (rude) «Do we need to hear this?», «nobody needs your opinion» are put-downs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#m6) 7) (euphemism) «Special needs» or «additional needs» is a polite term for a child who needs extra help; «in need» means poor. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#m7) 8) (formal) Exams say «require», «requisite», «necessitate», «the quantity required», «the shortfall» (how much is still needed) and «is obliged to». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#m8) ### sense in the lessons a target: how much is needed for a task, compared with what one has; or an amount each one needs; in science, living things need air, water and food; phrases «need to», «in need», «no need», «needs more», «if need be»; in casual talk «need a hand?», «we're 4, need 3 each», «I need a wee»; in rough talk «I don't need your crap», «nobody needs your help»; in the exam voice «the quantity required», «determine the shortfall», «each unit requires 3 eggs» ### examples - She needs 9 cups of flour. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x1) - He needs 20 dollars but has 12. How many more does she need? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x2) - Each cake needs 3 eggs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x3) - Plants need water and sunlight. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x4) - You need to finish your homework first. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x5) - We collected food for families in need. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x6) - There is no need to shout. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x7) - we're 4, need 3 each, how many sausages then [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x8) - Need a hand with them boxes? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x9) - I don't need your help, I can count to 20 myself! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x10) - A recipe requires 3 eggs per cake. Determine the shortfall, given 7 eggs on hand and 4 cakes to be baked. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x11) - You needn't bring anything, we've got heaps. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/#x12) ### note Marks a target. «needs N, has M; how many more» gives N − M. «each needs N» with a count gives a product. «requires» in an exam means needs; «the shortfall» is target − what you have. Trap: «needs» is not what one already has. «Need» and «want» differ: you need food, you may only want sweets. «Knead» (to press dough) sounds the same. ### In the corpora - [Shops, hospitals, buses and factories need people at all hours, so their workers follow a rota that can change every week.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/2-shifts-nights-and-other-ways-of-working/1/) - [Gardens need regular weeding, mowing and watering or they quickly grow wild.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/12-cars-chores-and-the-shopping-list/15/) - [A newborn baby needs feeding every two or three hours, day and night, because its stomach is tiny.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/19-a-new-baby-in-the-house/6/) - [Babies feed from the breast or a bottle, often for twenty minutes or more, and they need calm to settle.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/19-a-new-baby-in-the-house/17/) - [Not every illness needs medicine: a cold gets better on its own.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/20-the-doctor-and-the-chemist/5/) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every meaning and example of «need» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/need/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.