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Webster 1913 Edition

Demand

De-mand′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Demanded
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Demanding
.]
[F.
demander
, LL.
demandare
to demand, summon, send word, fr. L.
demandare
to give in charge, intrust;
de-
+
mandare
to commit to one’s charge, commission, order, command. Cf.
Mandate
,
Commend
.]
1.
To ask or call for with authority; to claim or seek from, as by authority or right; to claim, as something due; to call for urgently or peremptorily;
as, to
demand
a debt; to
demand
obedience.
This, in our foresaid holy father's name,
Pope Innocent, I do
demand
of thee.
Shakespeare
2.
To inquire authoritatively or earnestly; to ask, esp. in a peremptory manner; to question.
I did
demand
what news from Shrewsbury.
Shakespeare
3.
To require as necessary or useful; to be in urgent need of; hence, to call for;
as, the case
demands
care
.
4.
(Law)
To call into court; to summon.
Burrill.

De-mand′

,
Verb.
I.
To make a demand; to inquire.
The soldiers likewise
demanded
of him, saying, And what shall we do?
Luke iii. 14.

De-mand′

,
Noun.
[F.
demande
, fr.
demander
. See
Demand
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
The act of demanding; an asking with authority; a peremptory urging of a claim; a claiming or challenging as due; requisition;
as, the
demand
of a creditor; a note payable on
demand
.
The
demand
[is] by the word of the holy ones.
Dan. iv. 17.
He that has confidence to turn his wishes into
demands
will be but a little way from thinking he ought to obtain them.
Locke.
2.
Earnest inquiry; question; query.
Shak.
3.
A diligent seeking or search; manifested want; desire to possess; request;
as, a
demand
for certain goods; a person's company is in great
demand
.
In 1678 came forth a second edition [Pilgrim's Progress] with additions; and then the
demand
became immense.
Macaulay.
4.
That which one demands or has a right to demand; thing claimed as due; claim;
as,
demands
on an estate
.
5.
(Law)
(a)
The asking or seeking for what is due or claimed as due.
(b)
The right or title in virtue of which anything may be claimed;
as, to hold a
demand
against a person
.
(c)
A thing or amount claimed to be due.
In demand
,
in request; being much sought after.
–
On demand
,
upon presentation and request of payment.

Webster 1828 Edition

Demand

DEMAND

,
Verb.
T.
[L. To command; to send; hence, to commit or entrust. To ask is to press or urge.]
1.
To ask or call for, as one who has a claim or right to receive what is sought; to claim or seek as due by right. The creditor demands principal and interest of his debt. Here the claim is derived from law or justice.
2.
To ask by authority; to require; to seek or claim an answer by virtue of a right or supposed right in the interrogator, derived from his office, station, power or authority.
The officers of the children of Israel-were beaten, and demanded, wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick. Ex. 5.
3.
To require as necessary or useful; as, the execution of this work demands great industry and care.
4.
To ask; to question; to inquire.
The soldiers also demanded of him, saying, what shall we do? Luke 3.
5.
To ask or require, as a seller of goods; as, what price do you demand?
6.
To sue for; to seek to obtain by legal process; as, the plaintiff, in his action, demands unreasonable damages.
In French, demander generally signifies simply to ask, request, or petition, when the answer or thing asked for, is a matter of grace or courtesy. But in English, demand is now seldom used in that sense, and rarely indeed can the French demander be rendered correctly in English by demand, except in the case of the seller of goods, who demands, [asks, requires,] a certain price for his wares. The common expression, a king sent to demand another kings daughter in marriage, is improper.

Definition 2024

demand

demand

English

Alternative forms

Noun

demand ‎(countable and uncountable, plural demands)

  1. The desire to purchase goods and services.
    Prices usually go up when demand exceeds supply.‎
  2. (economics) The amount of a good or service that consumers are willing to buy at a particular price.
  3. A need.
    There is a demand for voluntary health workers in the poorer parts of Africa and Asia.‎
  4. A claim for something.
    Modern society is responding to women's demands for equality.‎
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 8, in The Celebrity:
      The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; […] . Our table in the dining-room became again the abode of scintillating wit and caustic repartee, Farrar bracing up to his old standard, and the demand for seats in the vicinity rose to an animated competition.
  5. A requirement.
    His job makes many demands on his time.‎
  6. An urgent request.
    She couldn't ignore the newborn baby's demands for attention.‎
  7. An order.
  8. (electricity supply) A measure of the maximum power load of a utility's customer over a short period of time; the power load integrated over a specified time interval.

Usage notes

One can also make demands on someone.

  • See Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take for uses and meaning of demand collocated with these words.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

demand ‎(third-person singular simple present demands, present participle demanding, simple past and past participle demanded)

  1. To request forcefully.
    I demand to see the manager.‎
  2. To claim a right to something.
    • 2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 55:
      According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures [patent trolls] roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle.
    The bank is demanding the mortgage payment.‎
  3. To ask forcefully for information.
    I demand an immediate explanation.‎
  4. To require of someone.
    This job demands a lot of patience.‎
  5. (law) To issue a summons to court.

Synonyms

Translations

Anagrams

Etymology

From Old French demander.

Pronunciation

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