Meaning of "must" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD MUST

Old English mōste past tense of mōtan to be allowed, be obliged to; related to Old Saxon mōtan, Old High German muozan, German müssen.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF MUST

mʌst

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF MUST

Must is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb must in English.

WHAT DOES MUST MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Must

Must is freshly pressed fruit juice that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace; it typically makes up 7%–23% of the total weight of the must. Making must is the first step in winemaking. Because of its high glucose content, typically between 10 and 15%, must is also used as a sweetener in a variety of cuisines. Unlike commercially sold grape juice, which is filtered and pasteurized, must is thick with particulate matter, opaque, and comes in various shades of brown and/or purple.

Definition of must in the English dictionary

The first definition of must in the dictionary is used as an auxiliary to express obligation or compulsion: you must pay your dues. In this sense, must does not form a negative. If used with a negative infinitive it indicates obligatory prohibition. Other definition of must is used as an auxiliary to indicate necessity. Must is also used as an auxiliary to indicate the probable correctness of a statement.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO MUST

PRESENT

Present

I must

you must

he/she/it musts

we must

you must

they must

Present continuous

I am musting

you are musting

he/she/it is musting

we are musting

you are musting

they are musting

Present perfect

I have musted

you have musted

he/she/it has musted

we have musted

you have musted

they have musted

Present perfect continuous

I have been musting

you have been musting

he/she/it has been musting

we have been musting

you have been musting

they have been musting

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I musted

you musted

he/she/it musted

we musted

you musted

they musted

Past continuous

I was musting

you were musting

he/she/it was musting

we were musting

you were musting

they were musting

Past perfect

I had musted

you had musted

he/she/it had musted

we had musted

you had musted

they had musted

Past perfect continuous

I had been musting

you had been musting

he/she/it had been musting

we had been musting

you had been musting

they had been musting

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will must

you will must

he/she/it will must

we will must

you will must

they will must

Future continuous

I will be musting

you will be musting

he/she/it will be musting

we will be musting

you will be musting

they will be musting

Future perfect

I will have musted

you will have musted

he/she/it will have musted

we will have musted

you will have musted

they will have musted

Future perfect continuous

I will have been musting

you will have been musting

he/she/it will have been musting

we will have been musting

you will have been musting

they will have been musting

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would must

you would must

he/she/it would must

we would must

you would must

they would must

Conditional continuous

I would be musting

you would be musting

he/she/it would be musting

we would be musting

you would be musting

they would be musting

Conditional perfect

I would have must

you would have must

he/she/it would have must

we would have must

you would have must

they would have must

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been musting

you would have been musting

he/she/it would have been musting

we would have been musting

you would have been musting

they would have been musting

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you must
we let´s must
you must

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to must

Past participle

musted

Present Participle

musting

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «MUST»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «must» and belong to the same grammatical category.

decay · duty · essential · fetor · fundamental · fustiness · imperative · mildew · mould · mouldiness · must-have · mustiness · necessity · obligation · prerequisite · requirement · requisite · rot · should · sine qua non

TRANSLATION OF MUST

Find out the translation of must to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of must from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «must» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 必须
• Translator English - Spanish: deber
• English: must
• Translator English - Hindi: चाहिए
• Translator English - Arabic: يَجِبُ
• Translator English - Russian: быть обязанным
• Translator English - Portuguese: dever
• Translator English - Bengali: অবশ্যই
• Translator English - French: devoir
• Translator English - Malay: Mestilah
• Translator English - German: müssen
• Translator English - Japanese: ･･･しなければならない
• Translator English - Korean: ...해야 한다
• Translator English - Javanese: Kudu
• Translator English - Vietnamese: phải
• Translator English - Tamil: வேண்டும்
• Translator English - Marathi: हे केलेच पाहिजे
• Translator English - Turkish: şart
• Translator English - Italian: dovere
• Translator English - Polish: musieć
• Translator English - Ukrainian: бути повинним
• Translator English - Romanian: a trebui
• Translator English - Greek: πρέπει
• Translator English - Afrikaans: moet
• Translator English - Swedish: måste
• Translator English - Norwegian: må

10 QUOTES WITH «MUST»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word must.

1

George Matthew Adams

Few people wear out before their time. Mostly they rust out, worry out, run out - spill out. A machine must have care and its different parts must be adjusted properly. No machine has ever approached the human machine. When it is right, it is in health.

2

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

We do believe that freedom, the right to choose, the right to vote, respect and justice is the fundamental right of all people. All people must obtain these rights.

3

Isabel Allende

All summer, I read fiction because you must read for the pleasure and beauty of it, and not only for research. I don't read thrillers, romance or mystery, and I don't read self-help books because I don't believe in shortcuts and loopholes.

4

Jean Anouilh

A good actor must never be in love with anyone but himself.

5

Jacques Audiard

I really believe the form of the film must be in the scenario; cinema is not just added value to the scripting. I believe in it as a totality.

6

John Banville

I don't see how English as we use it in Europe can be revivified. It's like Latin must have been in about A.D. 300, tired and used up. All one can do is press very hard stylistically to make it glow.

7

Vinoba Bhave

In nonviolence you must go full steam ahead, if you want the good to come speedily you must go about it with vigor.

8

Steven Biko

The basic tenet of black consciousness is that the black man must reject all value systems that seek to make him a foreigner in the country of his birth and reduce his basic human dignity.

9

Russell Brand

No-one really feels self-confident deep down because it's an artificial idea. Really, people aren't that worried about what you're doing or what you're saying, so you can drift around the world relatively anonymously: you must not feel persecuted and examined. Liberate yourself from that idea that people are watching you.

10

Richard Burr

Although we must change the ways we protect our country, we must also guard against policies that appear attractive but offer little real protection and may even impede our ability to protect ourselves.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «MUST»

Discover the use of must in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to must and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

1001 Books: You Must Read Before You Die

Completely revised and updated to include the most up-to-date selections, this is a bold and bright reference book to the novels and the writers that have excited the world's imagination.

‎2012

Must We Mean What We Say?: A Book of Essays

Reissued with a new preface these famous essays cover a wide range of philosophical issues.

Stanley Cavell, 2002

Ghana Must Go: A Novel

A “buoyant” and “rapturous” debut novel (The Wall Street Journal) about the transformative power of unconditional love Electric, exhilarating, and beautifully crafted, Ghana Must Go introduces the world to Taiye Selasi, a novelist ...

Taiye Selasi, 2013

HBR's Must Reads Digital Boxed Set (6 Books)

This six-title collection includes only the most critical articles from the world’s top management experts, curated from Harvard Business Review’s rich archives. We’ve done the work of selecting them so you won’t have to.

Harvard Business Review, 2013

400 Must-Have Words for the TOEFL

This timely guide also encompasses the recent changes made to the test, including the emphasis on conversation and spontaneous communication to mirror the interactive nature of the classroom. 400 Must-Have Words for the TOEFL also includes: ...

Lynn Stafford-Yilmaz, Lawrence Zwier, 2005

Xuxub Must Die: The Lost Histories of a Murder on the Yucatan

Sullivan masterfully weaves the intricately tangled threads of this story into a fascinating account of human accomplishments and failings, in which good and evil are never quite what they seem at first, and truth proves to be elusive.

Paul Sullivan, 2004

God Must Be Sleeping

Subjected to beatings, molestations and forced prostitution - this visceral book heralds one boy's courage in the face of devastation. God Must Be Sleeping delves into the fight through the next 11 years of Milligan's life.

Gregg Tyler Milligan, 2011

1,000 Comic Books You Must Read

Arranged by decade, this book introduces you to 1000 of the best comic books ever published and the amazing writers and artists who created them.

Tony Isabella, 2009

The King Must Die: A Novel

Richly imbued with the spirit of its time, this is a page-turner as well as a daring act of imagination. Renault’s story of Theseus continues with the sequel The Bull from the Sea.

Mary Renault, 2013

9 Things a Leader Must Do: How to Go to the Next Level--And ...

Based on his groundbreaking psychological study of the ways that successful individuals think and behave, Dr. Henry Cloud presents a simple yet profound roadmap to help leaders-and those who want to become leaders-arrive at greater levels ...

Henry Cloud, 2006

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «MUST»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term must is used in the context of the following news items.

'Balotelli must be forced out of Liverpool'

KUALA LUMPUR -- Mario Balotelli is a waste of time and money who must be forced to leave Liverpool, according to former Reds' captain ... «ESPN FC, Jul 15»

Cantillon: Nama must pass same test as Caesar's wife

When it comes to transactions in which Nama has an interest, the parties involved must all pass the same test as Caesar's wife: they have to be ... «Irish Times, Jul 15»

Pixels review: Adam Sandler must be stopped

Just like Back to the Future 2 predicted, here in 2015 we seem to be obsessed with nostalgia. It's nowhere more obvious than in our movies, ... «The Verge, Jul 15»

Drone operators must obtain flying permits under new rules

Drone operators must be more open about their surveillance activities under new Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations. Upgraded rules ... «Stuff.co.nz, Jul 15»

George Osborne must not be allowed to set Labour's welfare agenda

To answer the question either way is to agree with the position that you must either be the party of work or the party or welfare. The leadership ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»

Big Internet providers must open fibre networks to competitors: CRTC

Canada's telecom regulator has ruled that the country's large Internet providers must open up access to their latest-generation fibre-based ... «The Globe and Mail, Jul 15»

Ben Cherington Wants To Limit 'Transition' But Agrees Red Sox …

But while Cherington hopes to see more roster consistency moving forward, he agreed that the Red Sox must improve. One of the greatest ... «NESN.com, Jul 15»

Muller: Bayern Munich must retain a German core

The Germany international is keen to see that continue, though he stresses that every member of the squad must be good enough on their own ... «Goal.com, Jul 15»

Lorraine Higgins: New laws must tackle abusive, threatening trolls

In recent months, comments I received via email and on social- media platforms I use have forced me to question how or indeed whether I ... «Irish Times, Jul 15»

Cohen: Planned Parenthood must be defunded now

Planned Parenthood should be defunded — immediately — until a full investigation can be done into the stomach-turning allegations against ... «Boston Herald, Jul 15»