present tense and past tense, all persons must
1
a
: be commanded or requested to
you must stop
b
: be urged to : ought by all means to
you must read that book
2
: be compelled by physical necessity to
one must eat to live
: be required by immediate or future need or purpose to
we must hurry to catch the bus
3
a
: be obliged to : be compelled by social considerations to
I must say you're looking well
b
: be required by law, custom, or moral conscience (see conscience sense 1) to
we must obey the rules
c
: be determined to
if you must go at least wait for me
d
: be unreasonably or perversely compelled to
why must you argue
4
: be logically inferred (see infer sense 1) or supposed to
it must be time
5
: be compelled by fate or by natural law to
what must be will be
6
: was or were presumably certain to : was or were bound to
if he did it she must have known
archaic
: to be obliged to go
I must to Coventry—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare1
: an imperative need or duty : requirement
2
: an indispensable item : essential
exercise is a must
: the expressed juice of fruit and especially grapes before and during fermentation
also
: the pulp and skins of the crushed grapes
1
: musk
2
Synonyms
Examples of must in a Sentence
Verb
we must be quiet during the performance
Noun (1)
exercise is a must if you want to stay healthy
Recent Examples on the Web
Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
Kayaking in the island’s mangrove forest and retreats at the spa are a must at this resort, which also serves as a retreat for celebs like Donna Karan and Keith Richards who have villas on the property.
—Shelby Wax, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2024
For the latte lover or dedicated Americano drinker, having an espresso machine at home is a must.
—Will Porter, Architectural Digest, 25 Nov. 2024
Off to the processing facility Once a turkey reaches maturity, it's shipped off to processing plants on trucks, and sharp scheduling is a must.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for must 
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Noun
Consider travel insurance Travel insurance while visiting India is a must; not only are the hospitals in India not up to North American standards but the cost of evacuating out of some of the more remote regions of the country would be astronomical.
—Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
Kayaking in the island’s mangrove forest and retreats at the spa are a must at this resort, which also serves as a retreat for celebs like Donna Karan and Keith Richards who have villas on the property.
—Shelby Wax, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2024
For the latte lover or dedicated Americano drinker, having an espresso machine at home is a must.
—Will Porter, Architectural Digest, 25 Nov. 2024
Off to the processing facility Once a turkey reaches maturity, it's shipped off to processing plants on trucks, and sharp scheduling is a must.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for must
Dictionary Entries Near must
Cite this Entry
“Must.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/must. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
must
1 of 2 helping verb
məs(t) 
ˈməst
present & past all persons must
1
: is commanded, requested, or urged to
the train must stop
you must read that book
2
: is forced, required, or obliged to
leaves must fall
one must eat to live
we must be quiet
3
: is determined to
if you must go
4
: is very likely to
it must be time
must have lost it
5
: is certain to
the bus must be coming
must
2 of 2 noun
: something required or absolutely necessary
new shoes are a must
Medical Definition
must
noun
: the expressed juice of fruit and especially grapes before and during fermentation
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