needs must
needs must is the alternative form of must needs.
needs must is the ellipsis of needs must when the devil drives.
Meaning of must needs
Verb
must needs (third-person singular simple present must needs, no present participle, simple past must needs, no past participle)
- A pleonastic intensification of must using the adverb needs, meaning “must necessarily”.
- […]I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
- […]I have spoke thus much
Meaning of needs must when the devil drives
Proverb
needs must when the devil drives
- There is sometimes no choice but to do some specific thing.
- He needs must goe, the Devil drives.1664, Charles Cotton, Scarronides; or, Virgile Travestie
- Synonyms:
- needs must, necessity knows no law
Forms of needs must
| third-person singular present | needs must |
|---|---|
| past | needs must |
Questions about needs must
- What is needs must the alternative form of?
- Needs must is the alternative form of must needs.
Words near needs must in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: needs must (page history and authors); must needs (page history and authors); needs must when the devil drives (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “needs must.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/needs_must. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.