Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense demands, present participle demanding, past tense, past participle demanded
1. verb
If you demand something such as information or action, you ask for it in a very forceful way.
Mr Byers last night demanded an immediate explanation from the Education Secretary. [VERB noun + from]
Russia demanded that Unita send a delegation to the peace talks. [VERB that]
The hijackers are demanding to speak to representatives of both governments. [VERB to-infinitive]
'What did you expect me to do about it?' she demanded. [VERB with quote]
Synonyms: challenge, ask, question, inquire More Synonyms of demand
2. verb
If one thing demands another, the first needs the second in order to happen or be dealt with successfully.
He said the task of reconstruction would demand much patience, hard work and sacrifice. [VERB noun]
There would be fewer international crises demanding his attention. [VERB noun]
But he could also turn on the style when the occasion demanded. [VERB]
Synonyms: require, take, want, need More Synonyms of demand
3. countable noun
A demand is a firm request for something.
There have been demands for services from tenants up there. [+ for]
They consistently rejected the demand to remove U.S. troops.
He grew ever more fierce in his demands.
Synonyms: request, order, charge, bidding More Synonyms of demand
4. uncountable noun
If you refer to demand, or to the demandfor something, you are referring to how many people want to have it, do it, or buy it.
Another flight would be arranged on Saturday if sufficient demand arose.
Demand for coal is down and so are prices.
The demand to see her work is much greater than expected.
Because of the slump in domestic demand, production has stopped.
5. plural noun
Thedemandsof something or its demandson you are the things which it needs or the things which you have to do for it.
Researchers wrongly assumed that people were quite clear about the demands of thetask.
...the demands and challenges of a new job. [+ of]
There were too many other demands on his loyalty now.
[Also + on]
6.
See in (great) demand
7.
See make demands
8.
See on demand: usu PHR after v
More Synonyms of demand
demand in British English
(dɪˈmɑːnd)
verb(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive)
1.
to request peremptorily or urgently
2.
to require or need as just, urgent, etc
the situation demands attention
3.
to claim as a right; exact
his parents demanded obedience of him
4. law
to make a formal legal claim to (property, esp realty)
noun
5.
an urgent or peremptory requirement or request
6.
something that requires special effort or sacrifice
a demand on one's time
7.
the act of demanding something or the thing demanded
the kidnappers' demand was a million pounds
8.
an insistent question or query
9. economics
a.
willingness and ability to purchase goods and services
b.
the amount of a commodity that consumers are willing and able to purchase at a specified price
Compare supply1 (sense 9)
10. law
a formal legal claim, esp to real property
11. in demand
12. on demand
Derived forms
demandable (deˈmandable)
adjective
demander (deˈmander)
noun
Word origin
C13: from Anglo-French demaunder, from Medieval Latin dēmandāre, from Latin: to commit to, from de- + mandāre to command, entrust; see mandate
demand in American English
(dɪˈmænd; dɪˈmɑnd)
verb transitive
1.
to ask for boldly or urgently
2.
to ask for as a right or with authority
3.
to order to appear; summon
4.
to ask to know or be informed of
5.
to call for as necessary; require; need
the work demands patience
6. Law
to ask relief in court for (what is due one)
verb intransitive
7.
to make a demand
noun
8.
the act of demanding
9.
a thing demanded
10.
a strong or authoritative request
11.
an urgent requirement or claim
12. Obsolete
a question; query
13. Economics
the desire for a commodity together with ability to pay for it; also, the amount people are ready and able to buy at a certain price
see also supply1
14. Law
a peremptory claim which presupposes no doubt of the claimant's rights
Idioms:
in demand
on demand
SYNONYMY NOTE: demand implies a calling for as due or necessary, connoting a peremptory exercise of authorityor an imperative need [to demand obedience]; claim implies a demanding of something as allegedly belonging to one [to claim a throne]; require suggests a pressing need, often one inherent in the nature of a thing, or the bindingpower of rules or laws [aliens are required to register]; exact implies a demanding and the enforcing of the demand at the same time [an exacting foreman]
Word origin
ME demaunden < OFr demander, to demand < L demandare, to give in charge < de-, away, from + mandare, to entrust: see mandate
Demand is the rate at which electric energy is delivered to or by a system, part of a system, or a piece of equipment.
Should the wind turbine produce more power than the demand of the house, this excess power is fed into the grid via a meter which counts theunits fed in.
Reserve capacity is extra generating capacity available to meet peak or abnormallyhigh demands for power and to generate power during scheduled or unscheduled outages.
Demand is the rate at which electric energy is delivered to or by a system, part of a system,or a piece of equipment.
Talking about demandIf there starts to be more demand, you can say that demand goes up, grows, increases or rises.If there starts to be less demand, you can say that demand declines, dwindles, falls or goes down.
Examples of 'demand' in a sentence
demand
He peppered the veteran politician with questions about the demands of a presidential campaign.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You have another demanding person to consider and can feel stressed and exhausted.
The Sun (2016)
Could the current protectionist rhetoric dent demand for global connectivity?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The statistics office said that the main source of growth was domestic demand.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This suggestion is incendiary because a demand for ideological loyalty undermines the entire basis of our civil service.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
People demand and ask for more.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Indeed a shake-up was needed and voters have demanded one.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This year the company completed a restructuring aimed at adapting to changing consumer tastes, meeting demand to buy online and pick up from drop-off points.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We set extremely demanding entry requirements for domestic and overseas students.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The only people who demanded money were the young men who hired horses.
Charles Glass The Tribes Triumphant (2006)
The price of avocados is set to rise sharply because of increased global demand.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But domestic demand has barely flickered upwards.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The problem in the economy is a demand one.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Experts expect the demand for effective literacy programs will continue for years.
Christianity Today (2000)
Those are the expectations we have of ourselves because the players put these demands on one another.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The recovery in mortgage demand does now appear to be showing up in higher house prices.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Sports that demanded too much hardness for our modern tastes have been modified.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
These creatures can also demand names and addresses from decent citizens.
The Sun (2008)
The waiting time is growing as demand increases and production drops.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
What price will he demand for his support?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The demand comes from firms who wish to invest in new plant and equipment.
Charles A. D'Ambrosio & Stewart D. Hodges & Richard Brealey & Stewart Myers Principles of Corporate Finance (1991)
They subsequently demanded that lenders buy back the loans and scaled back their lending.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
And they will decide today whether to demand an explanation from them.
The Sun (2016)
It is an illness which demands constant attention and control.
Colette Harris, With Theresa Cheung PCOS DIET BOOK: How you can use the nutritional approach to deal with polycysticovary syndrome (2002)
She demanded loyalty and offered it in return.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
She was quite demanding and extremely seductive.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
With these jobs comes demand for residential property.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The soldiers found her pictures and demanded to know who she was working for.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There is strong demand from international buyers taking advantage of the weak pound.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They tell us less than usual about demand conditions now and in the near future.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Why not satisfy such a clear demand?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Demand for flights in the summer holidays to the same destination had dropped by 15 per cent.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
As increased global supply collided with weaker demand, commodity prices collapsed.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
demand
British English: demand /dɪˈmɑːnd/ NOUN
A demand is a firm request for something.
There were demands for better services.
American English: demand
Arabic: طَلَب
Brazilian Portuguese: exigência
Chinese: 要求
Croatian: potražnja
Czech: požadavek
Danish: krav
Dutch: eis kooplust
European Spanish: exigencia
Finnish: vaatimus käsky
French: exigence
German: Forderung
Greek: απαίτηση
Italian: richiesta
Japanese: 要求
Korean: 요구
Norwegian: etterspørsel
Polish: żądanie
European Portuguese: exigência
Romanian: cerere
Russian: требование
Latin American Spanish: exigencia
Swedish: krav
Thai: ความต้องการ
Turkish: talep
Ukrainian: вимога
Vietnamese: nhu cầu
British English: demand /dɪˈmɑːnd/ VERB
If you demand something such as information or action, you ask for it in a very forceful way.
He demanded that I give him an answer.
American English: demand
Arabic: يَطْلُبُ
Brazilian Portuguese: demandar
Chinese: 要求
Croatian: zahtijevati
Czech: požadovat
Danish: kræve
Dutch: eisen
European Spanish: exigir
Finnish: vaatia käskeä
French: exiger
German: fordern
Greek: απαιτώ
Italian: richiedere
Japanese: 要求する
Korean: 요구하다
Norwegian: kreve
Polish: zażądać
European Portuguese: exigir
Romanian: a cere
Russian: требовать
Latin American Spanish: exigir
Swedish: begära
Thai: ต้องการ
Turkish: talep etmek
Ukrainian: вимагати
Vietnamese: yêu cầu
All related terms of 'demand'
in demand
sought after; popular
on demand
An on-demand service is available at any time that you want to use it.
demand bill
a bill of exchange that is payable on demand
demand loan
→ call loan (sense 1 )
demand note
a promissory note payable on demand
demand-pull
designating or having to do with a form of inflation in which prices are driven up by an excess demand for goods and services, relative to their supply
peak demand
a time at which a product was at its maximum demand and had its most ever sales
tax demand
a parliamentary bill relating to taxation
wage demand
the wage demanded from management for workers by their union representatives
demand action
Action is doing something for a particular purpose.
demand curve
A demand curve is a graph showing the price of an item and the amount consumers want to buy .
excess demand
a situation in which the market demand for a commodity is greater than its market supply, thus causing its market price to rise
final demand
the last in a series of requests for payment of money owed , which usually contains a threat of legal action if the demand is ignored
market demand
demand for a particular product or commodity
consumer demand
a measure of consumers ' desire for a product or service based on its availability
demand deposit
a bank deposit from which withdrawals may be made without notice
demand feeding
the practice of feeding a baby whenever it seems to be hungry , rather than at set intervals
demand freedom
Freedom is the state of being allowed to do what you want to do. Freedoms are instances of this.
indirect demand
the secondary demand for labour , raw materials, premises etc which arises from the direct demand for goods
aggregate demand
the total demand for goods and services in an economy at a specified price level and in a specified time period
demand liabilities
the assets of a financial institution that are demandable by depositors
demand management
the regulation of total spending in an economy to required levels, attempted by a government esp in order to avoid unemployment or inflation : a measure advocated by Keynesian economists
demand a meeting
A meeting is an event in which a group of people come together to discuss things or make decisions .
in (great) demand
If someone or something is in demand or in great demand , they are very popular and a lot of people want them.
movies on demand
Movies on demand is a service that allows you to choose and watch a movie on your television .
supply and demand
the relationship between the availability of goods and services and how much of them people want . Used esp to relate to the impact of this relationship on price levels
demand-pull inflation
the act of inflating or state of being inflated
biological oxygen demand
→ biochemical oxygen demand
sight bill
a bill of exchange that is payable on demand
biochemical oxygen demand
a measure of the organic pollution of water: the amount of oxygen , in mg per litre of water, absorbed by a sample kept at 20°C for five days
law of supply and demand
the theory that prices are determined by the interaction of supply and demand : an increase in supply will lower prices if not accompanied by increased demand, and an increase in demand will raise prices unless accompanied by increased supply
on demand: usu PHR after v
If something is available or happens on demand , you can have it or it happens whenever you want it or ask for it.