Demand

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ænd
• RP IPA: /dɪˈmɑːnd/
• GenAm IPA: /dɪˈmænd/

Alternative forms

• demaund, demaunde obsolete

Origin

From Old French demander.

Noun

1. The desire to purchase goods and services.
   Prices usually go up when demand exceeds supply.
• 2013, Michael Sivak, Will AC Put a Chill on the Global Energy Supply?, Nevertheless, it is clear that the global energy demand for air-conditioning will grow substantially as nations become more affluent, with the consequences of climate change potentially accelerating the demand.
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, The Celebrity Chapter 8, 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 for uses and meaning of demand collocated with these words.

Synonyms

• (a requirement) imposition

Derived terms

Full definition of demand

Verb

1. To request forcefully.
   I demand to see the manager.
2. To claim a right to something.
• 2013-06-08, Obama goes troll-hunting, According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures 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.
3. The bank is demanding the mortgage payment.
4. To ask forcefully for information.
   I demand an immediate explanation.
5. To require of someone.
   This job demands a lot of patience.
6. (legal) To issue a summons to court.

Synonyms

• insist
• (ask strongly) frain

Anagrams

• damned
• madden