Need is a verb meaning “to require.” It can be used to talk about something that someone wants or needs. For example, someone might say, “I need a new car.” Another way to think about needs is as things that are essential for survival, such as food, water, and shelter. People will often prioritize meeting their basic needs over wants.
The word need can also be used to refer to a person’s psychological needs, such as the need for security or belonging. The most widely known academic model of human needs is Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which suggests that a person’s psychological needs start with basic physiological needs (food, water, and safety) and move through higher-order needs such as self-actualization. The theory states that a person will spend most of his or her time trying to satisfy lower-order needs before he or she can move on to higher-order ones.
In some cases, the phrase need is used to mean a person’s financial or social status, such as “the need for money” or “the need to get a job.” This use of need is not as common as its uses in psychology and sociology.
Some languages use different words for this concept. For example, in Japanese the word for need is k
The English noun need can be used as an adjective with nouns like love, rain, or a package: “I need a package,” or, “I need some rain.” The articles “a” and “an” are usually added to countable nouns to make them definite: “a car” or “an envelope.” When the noun is uncountable, as in “love,” “rain” or “English novels,” there is no need for an article.
In the United States, many people say, “I need a drink,” while in Britain, they usually say, “I need a cup of tea.” Both are correct, but this difference is not universal. It is important for people to know the difference between a need and a want so that they can prioritize their goals.
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