urgent

adjective

ur·gent | \ ˈər-jənt

How to pronounce urgent (audio)

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Definition of urgent

1a : calling for immediate attention : pressing urgent appeals an urgent need

b : conveying a sense of urgency

2 : urging insistently : importunate

Other Words from urgent Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about urgent

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Examples of urgent in a Sentence

We've come to deliver an urgent message. an urgent appeal for assistance He addressed us in an urgent manner. An urgent voice came over the intercom, telling us to leave the building immediately.

Recent Examples on the Web Others are posting details about patients in urgent need of help. — Washington Post, "In desperate hunt for oxygen and hospital beds, India turns to Twitter," 28 Apr. 2021 There’s an urgent need for degree programs that level up workers’ skills. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, "The sun is setting on A.I.’s Wild West," 27 Apr. 2021 Consumers' urgent need to stock their pantries and refrigerators to support their 24/7 at-home lifestyles exposed weaknesses in the nation's food supply chain. — Kristen Leigh Painter, Star Tribune, "General Mills aims new yogurt at people packing in the protein," 27 Apr. 2021 The adjustment would cause that budget to shrink, increasing the perception of an urgent need to drastically cut emissions. — Author: Chris Mooney, Brady Dennis, Anchorage Daily News, "Effort to cut world’s greenhouse emissions may be hampered by a giant accounting problem," 26 Apr. 2021 Crawford, a professor at the University of Southern California and researcher at Microsoft, says many applications and side effects of AI are in urgent need of regulation. — Tom Simonite, Wired, "This Researcher Says AI Is Neither Artificial nor Intelligent," 26 Apr. 2021 Patients’ stories in the media relay an urgent need for relief, and fear that relief will not come as long as doctors reject the medical seriousness of the problem. — Diane O'leary, STAT, "Needed for long Covid: a less authoritarian approach to understanding, treatment," 24 Apr. 2021 The court said the development would serve the urgent public need for affordable housing and would not harm the historic site. — Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, "Court OKs housing development at site of Ohlone shellmound in Berkeley," 21 Apr. 2021 The idea of skin care as self-care has been top of mind for a while, but the pandemic triggered an urgent need to turn inward—and many of us headed straight to our bathroom for therapy. — Erin Parker, Glamour, "Bathing Culture Body Wash Review: Why the Earth-Friendly Soap Secured a Permanent Spot in My Shower," 14 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'urgent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near urgent

urge incontinence

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Last Updated

1 May 2021

Cite this Entry

“Urgent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urgent. Accessed 7 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for urgent

urgent

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of urgent

: very important and needing immediate attention

: showing that something is very important and needs immediate attention

See the full definition for urgent in the English Language Learners Dictionary

urgent

adjective

ur·gent | \ ˈər-jənt

\

Kids Definition of urgent

1 : calling for immediate action an urgent need

2 : having or showing a sense of requiring immediate action She spoke in an urgent voice.

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