if needs be

adverb

If need be; if there is a need.

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Meanings

adverbif needs be (not comparable)

alternative if need be

  1. idiomaticnot comparableIf need be; if there is a need.
    1 more example

    April 20, 1964, Nelson Mandela, speech at trial I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

Cite this entry
APA

if needs be. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/if%20needs%20be

MLA

“if needs be.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/if%20needs%20be. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “if needs be,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/if%20needs%20be.

Source: if needs be on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.