What does "must" mean?
Something that is mandatory, required or recommended.
Must
/məst/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something that is mandatory, required or recommended.
- Grammar: must is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: absolute, allegiance, assigned task, bare necessities.
- Useful contrasts: allow, could be, may.
- Usage evidence: We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools.
How to use "must"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "must" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "must" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "must" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "must" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "must" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "absolute" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "must", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something that is mandatory, required or recommended. auxiliary, defective, modal
"If you're trekking all day, a map is a must."
- 2 The property of being stale or musty. auxiliary, countable, defective, modal, uncountable
- 3 Alternative spelling of musth. alt-of, alternative, auxiliary, countable, defective, modal, uncountable
"No animal in the world is so dangerous as an elephant in must."
- 4 the quality of smelling or tasting old or stale or mouldy wordnet
- 5 Something that exhibits the property of being stale or musty. auxiliary, countable, defective, modal, uncountable
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 grape juice before or during fermentation wordnet
- 7 Fruit juice that will ferment or has fermented, usually from grapes. auxiliary, countable, defective, modal, uncountable
"No sweet grape lies hidden here in the shade of its vine-leaves, No fermenting must fills and o'erflows the deep vats."
- 8 a necessary or essential thing wordnet
Verb
- 1 To do as a requirement; indicates that the sentence subject is required as an imperative or directive to execute the sentence predicate, with failure to do so resulting in a failure or negative consequence. auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle
"You must arrive in class on time."
- 2 To make musty. auxiliary, defective, modal, transitive
- 3 To do with certainty; indicates that the speaker is certain that the subject will have executed the predicate. auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle
"If it has rained all day, it must be very wet outside."
- 4 To become musty. auxiliary, defective, intransitive, modal
- 5 Used to indicate that something is very likely, probable, or certain to be true. auxiliary, defective, modal, no-past-participle, no-present-participle
"The children must be asleep by now."
Adjective
- 1 highly recommended wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "must"?
Common synonyms include: absolute, allegiance, assigned task, bare necessities, be forced, be in for.
How do you use "must" in a sentence?
We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools.
How do you pronounce "must"?
Pronounced /məst/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English moste ("must", literally, "had to", the past tense of Middle English moten (“to have to”)), from Old English mōste (“had to”), 1st & 3rd person singular past tense of mōtan (“to be allowed, be able to, have the opportunity to, be compelled to, must, may”), from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną. Cognate with Dutch moest (“had to”), German musste (“had to”), Swedish måste (“must, have to, be obliged to”). More at mote.
Etymology 2
From Middle English must, from Old English must and Old French must, most, both from Latin mustum.
Etymology 3
See musth.