Meaning & use
urgent need
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountable or uncountable
A situation in which something must be done or provided immediately.
Grammar: It can be used with 'a' or without an article: There is an urgent need for change. / There is urgent need for change.
Patterns
- an urgent need for something
- an urgent need to do something
- there is an urgent need
There is an urgent need for clean water in the region.
The doctor felt an urgent need to rest after the long shift.
The report highlights the urgent need to reduce pollution.
phrasecountable
A strong feeling that you must have or do something right away.
Grammar: Often used with 'feel' or 'have': I felt an urgent need to leave.
Patterns
- feel an urgent need to do something
- have an urgent need for something
She felt an urgent need to check on her children.
He had an urgent need for a break from work.
Common combinations
- urgent need for
- There is an urgent need for more teachers.
- urgent need to
- There is an urgent need to act now.
- meet an urgent need
- The charity was set up to meet an urgent need in the community.
- highlight the urgent need
- The study highlights the urgent need for better safety rules.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pressing need
- Very similar, but slightly more formal and often used in official reports.
- desperate need
- Stronger and more emotional; it suggests that the situation is already very bad.
Commonly confused: urgent need or urgency?
urgent need vs urgency
Urgency is the noun meaning 'the quality of being urgent'; urgent need is a phrase describing what is needed.
Practice
There is an urgent need ___ more funding for the project.
Choose one answer.
The correct preposition is 'for': an urgent need for something. 'To' is used before a verb (an urgent need to act), not before a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “urgent need”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.