Meaning & use
demand
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Meanings
nouncountable
A firm request or order that someone expects to be met.
Grammar: Countable in this sense: workers' demands.
Patterns
- demand for something
- meet a demand
- demand that someone do something
The union presented a list of demands to management.
She ignored his demand for an apology.
The protesters' main demand was lower fares.
noununcountablebusiness
The amount of a product or service that people want to buy.
Grammar: Usually uncountable, followed by for: demand for tickets.
Patterns
- demand for something
- in demand
Demand for electric cars is rising quickly.
The shop could not keep up with the demand.
Prices fall when supply is greater than demand.
nounusually plural
Something that takes a lot of your time, energy or attention.
Grammar: Often plural with on: demands on someone's time.
Patterns
- demands on someone
- the demands of something
The demands of her new job left little time for hobbies.
Raising twins puts great demands on parents.
He struggled with the demands of university life.
verbtransitive
To ask for something in a strong way that expects an answer or action.
Grammar: Takes an object or a that clause: demand an answer.
Patterns
- demand something from someone
- demand that someone do something
- demand to do something
Customers demanded their money back.
She demanded to speak to the manager.
The judge demanded that the court be silent.
verbtransitiveformal
To need or require something, especially a great deal of skill or effort.
Grammar: The subject is a thing, not a person: the job demands patience.
Patterns
- something demands something
Teaching young children demands patience.
The situation demands immediate action.
Mountaineering demands careful planning.
Word forms
| third person singular | demands |
|---|---|
| past tense | demanded |
| past participle | demanded |
| -ing form | demanding |
| plural | demands |
Common combinations
- meet the demand
- The factory is struggling to meet the demand.
- in high demand
- Nurses are in high demand across the country.
- supply and demand
- Prices depend on supply and demand.
- on demand
- You can watch the show on demand.
- make demands
- The new boss made unreasonable demands.
- growing demand
- There is growing demand for remote work.
Synonyms and how they differ
- request
- A request is polite and can be refused, while a demand expects compliance.
- requirement
- A requirement is a condition that must be met, set by rules, rather than insisted on by a person.
- call
- Call, as in a call for change, is milder and more public than a direct demand.
- insist
- Insist is a verb for refusing to accept anything else, but it does not take a direct object like demand does.
Opposites
Word family
- demanding adjective
- needing a lot of effort or attention
- demander noun
- a rare word for someone who demands
- undemanding adjective
- not needing much effort
Commonly confused: demand or command?
demand vs command
A command is an order from someone with authority. A demand can come from anyone and is often a strong request.
Practice
Tickets for the concert sold out within minutes because ___ was so high.
Choose one answer.
Demand is the amount people want to buy. High supply would mean plenty of tickets, so it does not fit the sell-out.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “demand”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.