needs C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /nidz/ UK /niːdz/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adv of necessity; necessarily (used with must) He must needs obey, for there was no other course open to him. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adv · of necessity; necessarily... necessarilyperforceinevitablyunavoidably Word family Related forms needneedfulneedy Etymology AI details From Old English nedes, the genitive of nied ('need'), used adverbially to mean 'of necessity'; from Proto-Germanic *naudiz. nedes Old English *naudiz Proto-Germanic View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # needs **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adv **IPA (US):** /nidz/ **IPA (UK):** /niːdz/ ## Meanings 1. of necessity; necessarily (used with must) ## Examples - He must needs obey, for there was no other course open to him. ## Synonyms - necessarily - perforce - inevitably - unavoidably ## Related Forms - need - needful - needy ## Roots and Affixes - Root: nedes - Root: *naudiz ## Etymology From Old English nedes, the genitive of nied ('need'), used adverbially to mean 'of necessity'; from Proto-Germanic *naudiz. ## AI Etymology Needs comes from Old English nedes, the genitive of nied ('need'), used adverbially to mean 'of necessity'; from Proto-Germanic *naudiz. The etymological trail includes Old English nedes, Proto-Germanic *naudiz. The same word family includes need, needful, needy. Its current adverb use means "of necessity; necessarily (used with must)". ## Topics - Describing Qualities markdown