demand

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/dɪˈmɑːnd/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/dɪˈmænd/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(di mand′, -mänd′)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
de•mand /dɪˈmænd/USA pronunciation   v. 
  1. to ask for with authority;
    claim as a right: [ ~ + obj]:We demanded justice.[ ~ + to + verb]:I demanded to know what we had done wrong.[ ~ + (that) clause]:She demanded that we resign.
  2. [ ~ + obj] to call for, need, or require as right, proper, or necessary:This task demands patience.

n. 
  1. [countable] the act of demanding.
  2. something demanded:[countable]There were demands for immediate pay raises.
  3. a necessary thing;
    an urgent requirement:[countable]the conflicting demands of family and job.
  4. Business the desire and means to purchase goods:[uncountable]Economics studies the amount of consumer demand.
  5. the state of being wanted or sought for purchase or use:[uncountable]an article in great demand.
Idioms
  1. Idioms on demand:
    • upon request or presentation for payment:The bill is payable on demand.
    • when requested:abortion on demand.

See -mand-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
de•mand  (di mand′, -mänd′),USA pronunciation v.t. 
  1. to ask for with proper authority;
    claim as a right:He demanded payment of the debt.
  2. to ask for peremptorily or urgently:He demanded sanctuary. She demanded that we let her in.
  3. to call for or require as just, proper, or necessary:This task demands patience. Justice demands objectivity.
  4. Law
    • to lay formal legal claim to.
    • to summon, as to court.

v.i. 
  1. to make a demand;
    inquire;
    ask.

n. 
  1. the act of demanding.
  2. something that is demanded.
  3. an urgent or pressing requirement:demands upon one's time.
  4. Business[Econ.]
    • the desire to purchase, coupled with the power to do so.
    • the quantity of goods that buyers will take at a particular price.
  5. a requisition;
    a legal claim:The demands of the client could not be met.
  6. the state of being wanted or sought for purchase or use:an article in great demand.
  7. [Archaic.]inquiry;
    question.
  8. Idioms on demand, upon presentation or request for payment:The fee is payable on demand.
  • Medieval Latin dēmandāre to demand, Latin to entrust, equivalent. to dē- de- + mandāre to commission, order; see mandate
  • Anglo-French demaunder
  • Middle English demaunden 1250–1300
de•mand′a•ble, adj. 
de•mand′er, n. 
    3. exact. Demand, claim, require imply making an authoritative request. To demand is to ask in a bold, authoritative way:to demand an explanation.To claim is to assert a right to something:He claimed it as his due.To require is to ask for something as being necessary; to compel:The Army requires absolute obedience of its soldiers.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
demand /dɪˈmɑːnd/ vb (transitive; may take a clause as object or an infinitive)
  1. to request peremptorily or urgently
  2. to require or need as just, urgent, etc: the situation demands attention
  3. to claim as a right; exact
  4. to make a formal legal claim to (property, esp realty)
 n
  1. an urgent or peremptory requirement or request
  2. something that requires special effort or sacrifice
  3. the act of demanding something or the thing demanded
  4. an insistent question or query
    • willingness and ability to purchase goods and services
    • the amount of a commodity that consumers are willing and able to purchase at a specified price Compare supply1
  6. a formal legal claim, esp to real property
  7. in demand ⇒ sought after; popular
  8. on demand ⇒ as soon as requested
Etymology: 13th Century: from Anglo-French demaunder, from Medieval Latin dēmandāre, from Latin: to commit to, from de- + mandāre to command, entrust; see mandatedeˈmandable adj deˈmander n
'demand' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
ask - ballot - bill of exchange - biochemical oxygen demand - BOD - call - call in - call loan - care and maintenance - challenge - charge - cheque - claim - clamour - concession - convertible - crave - cry out - demand feeding - demand loan - distribution - double dip - draft - dun - easy - elasticity - encore - enforce - enough - exact - exaction - exigency - expostulate - free market - gear - glut - hard - hit - hush - importune - inflation - insist - instance - law of supply and demand - market - marketable - market forces - market price - monetarism - abortion-on-demand
Collocations: is in [high, low, great] demand, demanded a [promotion, raise], the [rising, falling, growing] demand for, more...

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