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must
1[muhst]
auxiliary verb
to be obliged or bound to by an imperative requirement.
I must keep my word.
to be under the necessity to; need to.
Animals must eat to live.
to be required or compelled to, as by the use or threat of force.
You must obey the law.
to be compelled to in order to fulfill some need or achieve an aim.
We must hurry if we're to arrive on time.
to be forced to, as by convention or the requirements of honesty.
I must say, that is a lovely hat.
to be or feel urged to; ought to.
I must buy that book.
to be reasonably expected to; is bound to.
It must have stopped raining by now. She must be at least 60.
to be inevitably certain to; be compelled by nature.
Everyone must die.
verb (used without object)
to be obliged; be compelled.
Do I have to go? I must, I suppose.
Archaic.(sometimes used with ellipsis of go, get, or some similar verb readily understood from the context).
We must away.
noun
something necessary, vital, or required.
This law is a must.
must
2[muhst]
noun
new wine; the unfermented juice as pressed from the grape or other fruit.
must
3[muhst]
noun
mold; moldiness; mustiness.
a castle harboring the must of centuries.
must
4[muhst]
noun
musk, especially a powder made from musk.
verb (used with object)
to powder (the hair).
must
1/ məst, ʌ, məs /
verb
used as an auxiliary to express obligation or compulsion: you must pay your dues . In this sense, must does not form a negative. If used with a negative infinitive it indicates obligatory prohibition
used as an auxiliary to indicate necessity
I must go to the bank tomorrow
used as an auxiliary to indicate the probable correctness of a statement
he must be there by now
used as an auxiliary to indicate inevitability
all good things must come to an end
on the part of the speaker when used with I or we
I must finish this
on the part of another or others as imputed to them by the speaker, when used with you, he, she, they, etc
let him get drunk if he must
(used emphatically) used as an auxiliary to express conviction or certainty on the part of the speaker
he must have reached the town by now, surely
you must be joking
(foll by away) used with an implied verb of motion to express compelling haste
I must away
noun
an essential or necessary thing
strong shoes are a must for hill walking
must
2/ ʌ /
noun
mustiness or mould
must
3/ ʌ /
noun
the newly pressed juice of grapes or other fruit ready for fermentation
must
4/ ʌ /
noun
a variant spelling of musth
must-
5combining form
indicating that something is highly recommended or desirable
a must-see film
this season's must-haves
Word History and Origins
Origin of must1
Origin of must2
Word History and Origins
Origin of must1
Origin of must2
Origin of must3
Idioms and Phrases
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
"Children in the top 200 schools achieve more distinctions in mathematics than children in the next 6,600 schools combined. The playing field must be levelled," its 2020 report said.
He added that landlords must improve communication and transparency, and the government should address "fundamental inequities in the way in which shared ownership is designed".
Usman Khawaja will turn 39 in December and must be wondering if he will get a tap on the shoulder before then.
But while Verrelli belongs to one side in the ongoing debate among conservation biologists, the other includes those who believe cities are an incurable blight and that their spread must be reduced or reversed.
"This is big, I must say, because we never had visits from a president at all, and it's very welcomed," says veteran Greenlandic official, Kaj Kleist.
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