necessitate

1 of 2

verb

ne·​ces·​si·​tate ni-ˈse-sə-ˌtāt How to pronounce necessitate (audio)
necessitated; necessitating
Synonyms of necessitatenext

transitive verb

1
: to make necessary : require
Business was growing, which necessitated the hiring of additional employees.
2
: force, compel
was necessitated to choose some other route
necessitation noun

necessitation

2 of 2

noun

ne·​ces·​si·​ta·​tion
plural -s
: the act of necessitating or condition of being necessitated
the absence of necessitation by the pastA. C. Ewing
is good by free choice, not necessitationNicholas Rescher

Synonyms of necessitate

Examples of necessitate in a Sentence

Verb New safety regulations necessitated adding a railing to the stairs. getting new shoes would necessitate another trip to the mall
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
The May 15 fire at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont sent plumes of black smoke into the sky and necessitated a response from hundreds of firefighters to a rural part of the state. ABC News, 15 June 2026 Of course, the modern, rapidly changing technological means of war, being vastly more versatile, fast, furtive, precise, numerous, farther reaching and lethal, will necessitate revisiting the principles of just wars. Keith Tidman, Baltimore Sun, 15 June 2026 Rejoining will necessitate difficult negotiations over the terms of re-entry and, doubtless, a heated argument at home. Anand Menon, Time, 13 June 2026 However, a dominant run in the minors — coupled with the Royals’ desire to infuse life into their beleaguered offense — necessitated a move. Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for necessitate

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of necessitate was in 1625

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Cite this Entry

“Necessitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/necessitate. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

necessitate

verb
ne·​ces·​si·​tate ni-ˈses-ə-ˌtāt How to pronounce necessitate (audio)
necessitated; necessitating
: to make necessary
sick enough to necessitate staying home
necessitation noun

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