need: meaning and words from its letters
4 letters · 5 letter points · starts with N · ends with D
Meaning of need
noun
- countable, uncountable
A requirement for something; something needed.
Example: There's no need to speculate; we can easily find out for sure.
- countable, uncountable
A desire or craving for the satisfaction of a requirement perceived as essential or primal.
- countable, uncountable
Lack of means of subsistence; poverty; indigence; destitution.
Listed forms: needs.
Source: Wiktionary — need.
verb
- transitive
To have an absolute requirement for.
Example: Living things need water to survive.
- transitive
To want strongly; to feel that one must have something.
Example: After ten days of hiking, I needed a shower and a shave.
- modal
To be obliged or required (to do something).
Example: I need not go if I don't want to, need I?
- intransitive
To be required; to be necessary.
Listed forms: needs, needing, needed, glossary, needest.
Source: Wiktionary — need.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki.org. Selected senses and forms; quotations omitted. Definition text is CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms by meaning
Words are grouped by sense, so they are not necessarily interchangeable in every context. Search synonyms for need.
noun
a condition requiring relief
noun
anything that is necessary but lacking
noun
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
noun
a state of extreme poverty or destitution
Open English WordNet Team, 2025, derived from Princeton University WordNet; selected synonym groups under CC BY 4.0. Source · OEWN notice · Princeton notice.
Is need in our word lists?
| Word list | Status |
|---|---|
| American English | Found |
| British English | Found |
| Extended English | Found |
These are spelling-list matches, not official game validity checks. Check the rules and dictionary used by your game.
Letter-value score of need
N(1) + E(1) + E(1) + D(2) = 5 points.
This is a sum of letter values without board bonuses or word multipliers. A blank tile is worth zero: subtract the value of each letter supplied by a blank. The score does not establish game validity. Full letter-value table.
Anagrams of need
1 other standard-list word uses exactly these letters, including repeated letters.
Shorter words from need
7 shorter standard-list words can be made using no letter more often than it occurs in need. Showing up to 24, longest first.