needes

N1E1E1D2E1S1

A form of needs — Either directly or indirectly preceded or followed by an auxiliary verb, often must: of necessity or need; necessarily, indispensably.

UncommonScrabble 7

Meanings

needes1

adverb
  1. obsoleteObsolete spelling of needs.

    Proſ. To haue no Schreene between this part he plaid, / And him he plaid it for, he needes will be / Abſolute Millaine,[…]

    1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 2
    2 more examples

    As touching corporal puniſhments and penance, as faſting, diſciplin, hare cloth and other chaſtiſements, it behoueth thee herein to vſe good diſcretiõ, taking ſuch as help to repreſſe the aſſaults and temptations of the fleſh, and leuing others that may be hurtful, not yeelding herein to the heats, which ſome nouices are vvont to haue in their beginning, who thorough indiſcrete mortifying, and dompting of their fleſhe, fal into ſome ſuche infirmitie, as aftervvardes they muſt needes pamper and cheriſhe it to much.

    1584, Iaspar Loarte [i.e., Gaspart Loarte], “Certaine General Aduertissementes Necessary for suche as Minde to Serue God Sincerely”, in James Sancer [pseudonym; Stephen Brinkley], transl., The Exercise of a Christian Life. […], [Rouen]: [Robert Person’s Press], →OCLC, pages 10–11

    For they both ſay and beleeue that this picture hath ſo great vertue, as alſo that of Padua, whereof I haue before ſpoken, that whenſoeuer it is carried abroad in a ſolemne proceſſion in the time of a great drougth, it will cauſe raine to deſcend from heauen either before it is brought backe into the Church, or very ſhortly after. […] I cannot be induced to attribute ſo much to the vertue of a picture, as the Venetians do, except I had ſeene ſome notable miracle wrought by the ſame. For it brought no drops at all with it: onely about two dayes after it rained (I muſt needes confeſſe) amaine. But I hope they are not ſo ſuperſtitious to aſcribe that to the vertue of the picture.

    1611, Thomas Coryate [i.e., Thomas Coryat], “My Obseruations of the Most Glorious, Peerelesse, and Mayden Citie of Venice: […]”, in Coryats Crudities Hastily Gobled Vp in Five Moneths Trauells […], London: […] W[illiam] S[tansby for the author], →OCLC, pages 214–215

needes2

noun
  1. obsoletepluralplural of neede

needes3

verb
  1. indicativeobsoletepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of neede

Origin

needes · noun

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Full word history & related roots →

needes · verb

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

needes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/needes

MLA

“needes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/needes. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “needes,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/needes.

Source: needes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.