necessitate

verb

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

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

Examples of necessitate in a Sentence

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This sweeping language necessitates the collection of many millions of documents for a large company. Ross Marchand, Baltimore Sun, 23 June 2025 The Fordow site, formally known in the international community as the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and in Iran as the Shahid Ali Mohammadi Nuclear Facility, is located under more than 300 feet of rock, necessitating the use of heavy weaponry to strike it. Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 19 June 2025 The fallout from mass deportations would extend beyond the state, leading to higher food prices nationwide and necessitating industry-wide adjustments. Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025 The reduction necessitates ¼ acre of forest preserve land rather than 52 acres. Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for necessitate

Word History

First Known Use

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of necessitate was in 1625

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Necessitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/necessitate. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on necessitate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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