need-to-know

adjective

(of information) given to another only when necessary.

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Meanings

adjectiveneed-to-know (not comparable)
  1. idiomaticnot comparable(of information) given to another only when necessary.

    10 to 2 a.m., X, Yogi DMT and a box of Krispy Kremes In my need-to-know post just outside of Area 51 Contemplating the whole "Chosen People" thingy When just a flaming stealth banana split the sky Like one would hope, but never really expect to see in a place like this

    2006, “Rosetta Stoned”, performed by Tool
nounneed-to-know (plural need-to-knows)

plural need-to-knows

  1. Something that one needs to know; a piece of necessary information.
Cite this entry
APA

need-to-know. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/need-to-know

MLA

“need-to-know.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/need-to-know. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “need-to-know,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/need-to-know.

Source: need-to-know on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.