demand

1 of 2

noun

de·mand di-ˈmand

-ˈmänd,

dē-

Synonyms of demand next

: an act of demanding or asking especially with authority

a demand for obedience

: something claimed as due or owed

the demands of the workers' union

archaic : question

economics : willingness and ability to purchase a commodity or service

the demand for quality day care

: the quantity of a commodity or service wanted at a specified price and time

supply and demand

: a seeking or state of being sought after

in great demand as an entertainer

: urgent need

an increased demand for blood donations

: the requirement of work or of the expenditure of a resource

equal to the demands of the office

demands on one's time

oxygen demand for waste oxidation

demand

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verb

demanded; demanding; demands

intransitive verb

: to call for something in an authoritative way : to make a demand : ask

transitive verb

: to ask or call for with authority : claim as due or just

demanded to see a lawyer

: to call for urgently, imperiously, or insistently

demanded that the rioters disperse

: to ask authoritatively or earnestly to be informed of

demand the reason for the dismissal

: to require to come : summon

: to call for as useful or necessary

etiquette demands a handwritten thank-you

demandable

di-ˈman-də-bəl

-ˈmän-

dē-

adjective

demander noun

Phrases

on demand

: upon presentation and request for payment

also : when requested or needed

video on demand

Choose the Right Synonym for demand

demand, claim, require, exact mean to ask or call for something as due or as necessary.

demand implies peremptoriness and insistence and often the right to make requests that are to be regarded as commands.

demanded payment of the debt

claim implies a demand for the delivery or concession of something due as one's own or one's right.

claimed the right to manage his own affairs

require suggests the imperativeness that arises from inner necessity, compulsion of law or regulation, or the exigencies of the situation.

the patient requires constant attention

exact implies not only demanding but getting what one demands.

exacts absolute loyalty

Example Sentences

Noun The committee is considering her demand that she be given more time to complete the study. The workers said they would not end the strike until their demands were met. The demand for low-income housing is increasing as the economy gets worse. We are seeing an increased demand for hospital beds. The company increased production to meet demand. Verb The customer demanded a refund. Parents have demanded that the teacher resign. The reporter demanded to see the documents. I demand to know what is going on here! “Come here at once!” he demanded. “Why won't you answer me?” she demanded. The situation demands immediate action. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

At the same time, demand for insulin has grown significantly as diabetes has become the fastest-growing chronic disease in the world, a 2022 study found. CEO of pharma giant on why the company is cutting cost of insulin 3. —

Alexandra Meeks, CNN, 2 Mar. 2023 Its revenue growth has averaged around 25% for years but has been slowing as companies delay orders and demand less of its services. —

Tom Dotan, WSJ, 2 Mar. 2023 Lot of discussion on production and engineering but didn’t address demand side how to get from 1.8M delivs this year to 20M deliv target by 2030 (% M-3, M-Y, SX, CT, $25K, Robotaxis). —

Bychristiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2023 Beer drinking in the United States suffered from blizzards in December, while the final stage of China’s COVID-zero policy weighed on demand in Asia. —

BostonGlobe.com, 2 Mar. 2023 The Federal Reserve has imposed a string of aggressive rate hikes since last year that aim to lower inflation by cooling the economy and choking off demand. —

Max Zahn, ABC News, 2 Mar. 2023 That’s up 325% from 2021, with a profit margin more than doubled due to the rising price of coal and amped up demand. —

William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 2 Mar. 2023 Neighboring California — the nation’s largest car market — plans to end the sale of new gas cars and trucks in a little over a decade, which will further drive up demand for electric vehicle batteries. —

Scott Sonner, ajc, 2 Mar. 2023 Aggressive interest rate hikes by the RBI to tame inflation have also hit demand. —

Quartz, 1 Mar. 2023

Verb

Lillard has likely had numerous opportunities to sign with another team or demand a trade to a team loaded with stars in an attempt to win a championship. —

oregonlive, 15 Mar. 2023 That’s largely because Americans came to expect weak inflation and didn’t demand big raises. —

Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2023 Odell is working with ideas that demand careful, persuasive articulation: the interrelation of so many injustices, how to translate grief into language and language into action. —

Parul Sehgal, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023 But claiming those deductions is complex enough to almost demand tax software for side hustlers. —

Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2023 In a few cases ProPublica found, simple mistakes have led states to overpay unemployment recipients and then demand huge sums of money back. —

Kristen Doerer, ProPublica, 24 Feb. 2023 Both the home care workforce and the people who need them are tired as hell and demand justice. —

Alice Wong, CNN, 22 Feb. 2023 The presidential statement does not condemn Israeli settlement activity or demand a halt. —

Edith M. Lederer, ajc, 20 Feb. 2023 Caitlin & Shannon View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shannon (@shan_adams_44) Relationships are rewarding but also demand effort, and that becomes harder when there's another person involved. —

Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 16 Feb. 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English demaunde, demande "question, request, claim," borrowed from Anglo-French, noun derivative of demander, demaunder "to ask a question, claim as due" — more at demand entry 2

Verb

Middle English demaunden, demanden "to ask a question, ask, claim as due," borrowed from Anglo-French demander, demaunder, borrowed from Medieval Latin dēmandāre "to entrust, send, send word of, send instructions (to), make a claim on," going back to Latin, "to entrust, hand over (to), lay a duty on," from de- de- + mandāre "to hand over, deliver, order" — more at mandate entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler

The first known use of demand was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century