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View synonyms for

must

1

[ muhst ]

auxiliary verb

  1. to be obliged or bound to by an imperative requirement:

    I must keep my word.

  2. to be under the necessity to; need to:

    Animals must eat to live.

  3. to be required or compelled to, as by the use or threat of force:

    You must obey the law.

  4. to be compelled to in order to fulfill some need or achieve an aim:

    We must hurry if we're to arrive on time.

  5. to be forced to, as by convention or the requirements of honesty:

    I must say, that is a lovely hat.

  6. to be or feel urged to; ought to:

    I must buy that book.

  7. to be reasonably expected to; is bound to:

    It must have stopped raining by now. She must be at least 60.

  8. to be inevitably certain to; be compelled by nature:

    Everyone must die.

verb (used without object)

  1. to be obliged; be compelled:

    Do I have to go? I must, I suppose.

  2. Archaic. (sometimes used with ellipsis of go, get, or some similar verb readily understood from the context):

    We must away.

adjective

  1. A raincoat is must clothing in this area.

noun

  1. something necessary, vital, or required:

    This law is a must.

must

2

[ muhst ]

noun

  1. new wine; the unfermented juice as pressed from the grape or other fruit.

must

3

[ muhst ]

noun

  1. mold; moldiness; mustiness:

    a castle harboring the must of centuries.

must

4

[ muhst ]

noun

  1. musk, especially a powder made from musk.

verb (used with object)

  1. to powder (the hair).

must-

1

combining_form

  1. indicating that something is highly recommended or desirable

    a must-see film

    this season's must-haves

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

must

2

/ məst; ʌ; məs /

verb

  1. 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
  2. used as an auxiliary to indicate necessity

    I must go to the bank tomorrow

  3. used as an auxiliary to indicate the probable correctness of a statement

    he must be there by now

  4. used as an auxiliary to indicate inevitability

    all good things must come to an end

  5. used as an auxiliary to express resolution
    1. on the part of the speaker when used with I or we

      I must finish this

    2. 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

  6. used emphatically used as an auxiliary to express conviction or certainty on the part of the speaker

    you must be joking

    he must have reached the town by now, surely

  7. foll by away used with an implied verb of motion to express compelling haste

    I must away

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an essential or necessary thing

    strong shoes are a must for hill walking

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

must

3

/ ʌ /

noun

  1. mustiness or mould
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

must

4

/ ʌ /

noun

  1. the newly pressed juice of grapes or other fruit ready for fermentation
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

must

5

/ ʌ /

noun

  1. a variant spelling of musth
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of must1

First recorded before 900; Middle English most(e), Old English ōٱ (past tense); cognate with German musste. See mote 2

Origin of must2

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English, from Latin mustum, short for vīnum mustum “new wine”

Origin of must3

First recorded in 1595–1605; back formation from musty 1

Origin of must4

First recorded in 1480–90; earlier moist, from Middle French must, variant of musc; musk
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Word History and Origins

Origin of must1

Old English ōٱ past tense of ōٲ to be allowed, be obliged to; related to Old Saxon ōٲ, Old High German muozan, German ü

Origin of must2

C17: back formation from musty

Origin of must3

Old English, from Latin mustum new wine, must, from mustus (adj) newborn
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Idioms and Phrases

see a must ; show must go on .
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Synonym Study

Must, ought, should express necessity or duty. Must expresses necessity or compulsion: I must attend to those patients first. Soldiers must obey orders. Ought (weaker than must ) expresses obligation, duty, desirability: You ought to tell your mother. Should expresses obligation, expectation, or probability: You are not behaving as you should. Children should be taught to speak the truth. They should arrive at one o'clock.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Along the way, Julian must confront an opposing force: Alejandro’s astute sister, Sofia, a compelling character that Boneta says his own sister helped him create.

From

Those directives “may well be inconsistent” with the intent of Congress when it passed legislation standing up the division, the senators wrote, and must be disclosed to them for review by Thursday.

From

Flood insurance must be purchased by home and business owners in high-risk areas with mortgages from federally regulated or insured lenders.

From

The Federal Communications Commission must approve the transfer of CBS television station licenses to the Ellison family.

From

But even they say there must be no return to the past.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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