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Meaning & use

meet your needs

phrase·Everyday

Last updated

UK/miːt jɔː niːdz/
US/miːt jʊr niːdz/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiom

    to be good enough or suitable for what someone requires or wants.

    Grammar: The possessive changes with the person: meet my/your/his/our/their needs. It takes an object.

    Patterns

    • meet someone's needs
    • meet the needs of someone

    This software should meet your needs if you only write short reports.

    The hotel was designed to meet the needs of business travelers.

    We changed the schedule to meet the needs of the whole team.

  2. phraseidiom

    to provide the things a person must have in order to live or work well.

    Grammar: Often used about basic needs such as food, housing, or medical care.

    Patterns

    • meet the needs of a group
    • meet basic needs

    The charity works to meet the needs of homeless families.

    A minimum wage should meet the basic needs of workers.

    The new clinic was built to meet the needs of the growing community.

Common combinations

meet the needs of customers
Our goal is to meet the needs of customers at every age.
meet someone's basic needs
The shelter provides food and a bed to meet basic needs.
designed to meet your needs
The course is designed to meet your needs as a beginner.
fail to meet someone's needs
The old system failed to meet our needs, so we replaced it.

Synonyms and how they differ

satisfy
More formal; often used with 'requirements' or 'demands' rather than 'needs'.
fulfill
Slightly formal; can mean to make something happen or complete, as in fulfill a promise.
serve
Focuses on helping or providing a service, not just being suitable.

Word family

need noun
Something that is necessary for a person to have.
need verb
To require something because it is important.
needy adjective
Lacking money or basic things; also used for people who want too much attention.

Commonly confused: meet your needs or meet your need? meet your needs or meet with your needs?

meet your needs vs meet your need

The singular 'need' is less common in this phrase; the plural 'needs' is the usual form.

meet your needs vs meet with your needs

'Meet with' means to have a meeting or to experience something, not to satisfy needs.

Practice

The new plan is designed to ___ of small businesses.

Make it your own

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