The noun need has 4 senses (first 4 from tagged texts)
1. (56) need, demand -- (a condition requiring relief; "she satisfied his need for affection"; "God has no need of men to accomplish His work"; "there is a demand for jobs")
2. (29) need, want -- (anything that is necessary but lacking; "he had sufficient means to meet his simple needs"; "I tried to supply his wants")
3. (12) motivation, motive, need -- (the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior; "we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives")
4. (1) indigence, need, penury, pauperism, pauperization -- (a state of extreme poverty or destitution; "their indigence appalled him"; "a general state of need exists among the homeless")
Overview of verb need
The verb need has 3 senses (first 3 from tagged texts)
1. (112) necessitate, ask, postulate, need, require, take, involve, call for, demand -- (require as useful, just, or proper; "It takes nerve to do what she did"; "success usually requires hard work"; "This job asks a lot of patience and skill"; "This position demands a lot of personal sacrifice"; "This dinner calls for a spectacular dessert"; "This intervention does not postulate a patient's consent")
2. (99) want, need, require -- (have need of; "This piano wants the attention of a competent tuner")
3. (1) need -- (have or feel a need for; "always needing friends and money")