Must

How to spell must

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce must

What does must mean?

1. verbUsed to express that something is required, necessary, or strongly recommended.
2. verbUsed to express that something is almost certainly true based on the available evidence.
3. nounSomething that is essential or not to be missed.

Must in a sentence

• verb

  Every passenger must carry a valid ticket on the train.

• verb

  The lights are off, so they must have already left for the airport.

• noun

  A good pair of walking boots is a must for the coastal trail.

• verb

  You must finish the report before the meeting tomorrow.

• verb

  She must be exhausted after working three double shifts in a row.

• noun

  Comfortable shoes are an absolute must when sightseeing all day.

Where does must come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is one of the oldest words in English, descending from the Old English verb motan, which meant 'to be allowed to' or 'to be able to'. The form we use today, must, actually began life as moste, the past tense of that verb, before it settled into the present-tense modal sense of obligation we know now. It shares deep Germanic roots with the German modal verb mussen, meaning 'to have to', so the family resemblance is genuine rather than coincidental. Over the centuries the sense shifted from possibility toward firm necessity, which is why must now carries such a strong sense of duty or certainty. Because it has always been a short, heavily used function word, its spelling has stayed remarkably simple and stable, and the unrelated noun for unfermented grape juice comes instead from the Latin mustum vinum, meaning 'fresh young wine'.

How the word is built

• must (from Old English moste, past tense of motan: to be able to, to be obliged to)