must1

 
Pronunciation: /mʌst/

modal verb (past had to or in reported speech must)

  • 1be obliged to; should (expressing necessity): you must show your ID card the essay mustn’t be over 2,000 words she said she must be going
  • expressing insistence: you must try some of this fish if you must smoke you could at least go in the living room
  • used in ironic questions expressing irritation: Charlotte, must you put spanners in the works?
  • 2expressing an opinion about something that is logically very likely: there must be something wrong you must be tired

noun

informal
  • something that should not be overlooked or missed: this video is a must for everyone

Phrases

I must say

see say.

must needs do something

see needs.

Origin:

Old English mōste, past tense of mōt 'may', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch moeten and German müssen

Grammar

A modal auxiliary verb used to express the speaker's view of how necessary or desirable an event may be: ‘I must go,’ breathed Stefania, and was gone. See also modal meanings.