Search Chambers
Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
need verb (needed, needing) 1 to lack; to require. 2 intrans (also as auxiliary verb - see Usage Note) to be required or obliged to be or do something • We need to find a replacement • They needn't stay. noun 1 something one requires. 2 (need of or for something) a condition of lacking or requiring it; an urge or desire. 3 (need for something) necessity or justification for it. if need or needs be if necessary. in need needing help or financial support. See also needs.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon nead or nied.
need Need may be used either as an ordinary intransitive verb or as an auxiliary verb. When need is used as an intransitive verb, the form of the verb accompanying 'he/she/it' ends in '-s', questions and negative statements are formed with the auxiliary verb 'do', and a following verb is preceded by 'to' • If he needs to go, I'll just have to let him • You don't need to go • I didn't need to see him at all • Didn't you need to tell him something? When need is used as an auxiliary verb, the verb accompanying 'he/she/it' has no '-s' ending, questions and negative statements are formed without 'do', and there is no 'to' before the following verb• • She needn't go if she doesn't want to • Need we tell her at all? This auxiliary-verb construction is possible only in questions and negative statements in the present tense. |
need verb (needed, needing) 1 to lack; to require. 2 intrans (also as auxiliary verb - see Usage Note) to be required or obliged to be or do something • We need to find a replacement • They needn't stay. noun 1 something one requires. 2 (need of or for something) a condition of lacking or requiring it; an urge or desire. 3 (need for something) necessity or justification for it. if need or needs be if necessary. in need needing help or financial support. See also needs.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon nead or nied.
need Need may be used either as an ordinary intransitive verb or as an auxiliary verb. When need is used as an intransitive verb, the form of the verb accompanying 'he/she/it' ends in '-s', questions and negative statements are formed with the auxiliary verb 'do', and a following verb is preceded by 'to' • If he needs to go, I'll just have to let him • You don't need to go • I didn't need to see him at all • Didn't you need to tell him something? When need is used as an auxiliary verb, the verb accompanying 'he/she/it' has no '-s' ending, questions and negative statements are formed without 'do', and there is no 'to' before the following verb• • She needn't go if she doesn't want to • Need we tell her at all? This auxiliary-verb construction is possible only in questions and negative statements in the present tense. |
need verb (needed, needing) 1 to lack; to require. 2 intrans (also as auxiliary verb - see Usage Note) to be required or obliged to be or do something • We need to find a replacement • They needn't stay. noun 1 something one requires. 2 (need of or for something) a condition of lacking or requiring it; an urge or desire. 3 (need for something) necessity or justification for it. if need or needs be if necessary. in need needing help or financial support. See also needs.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon nead or nied.
need Need may be used either as an ordinary intransitive verb or as an auxiliary verb. When need is used as an intransitive verb, the form of the verb accompanying 'he/she/it' ends in '-s', questions and negative statements are formed with the auxiliary verb 'do', and a following verb is preceded by 'to' • If he needs to go, I'll just have to let him • You don't need to go • I didn't need to see him at all • Didn't you need to tell him something? When need is used as an auxiliary verb, the verb accompanying 'he/she/it' has no '-s' ending, questions and negative statements are formed without 'do', and there is no 'to' before the following verb• • She needn't go if she doesn't want to • Need we tell her at all? This auxiliary-verb construction is possible only in questions and negative statements in the present tense. |
-
The Chambers Dictionary (13th edition)
“Chambers is the one I keep at my right hand”- Philip Pullman.
The unrivalled dictionary for word lovers, now in its 13th edition.
-
The Chambers Thesaurus
The Chambers Thesaurus (4th Edition) is a veritable treasure-trove, including the greatest selection of alternative words and phrases available in an A to Z format. -
Chambers Biographical Dictionary
“Simply all you need to know about anyone” – Fay Weldon.
Thoroughly revised and updated for its 9th edition.
Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
Search Tip
A wildcard is a special character you can use to replace one or more characters in a word. There are two types of wildcard. The first is a question mark ?, which matches a single character. The second is an asterisk *, which matches zero or more characters. The two kinds of wildcard can be mixed in a single search.
View More Search Tips