2 N‑COUNT A necessity is something that you must have in order to live properly or do something. □ [+ of ] Water is a basic necessity of life. □ …food, fuel and other daily necessities.
3 N‑COUNT [usu sing] A situation or action that is a necessity is necessary and cannot be avoided. □ The President pleaded that strong rule from the centre was a regrettable, but temporary necessity.
neck ◆◇◇ /ne k/ (necks , necking , necked )
1 N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] Your neck is the part of your body which joins your head to the rest of your body. □ She threw her arms round his neck and hugged him warmly. □ He was short and stocky, and had a thick neck.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The neck of an article of clothing such as a shirt, dress, or sweater is the part which surrounds your neck. □ [+ of ] …the low, ruffled neck of her blouse. □ He wore a blue shirt open at the neck.
3 N‑COUNT The neck of something such as a bottle or a guitar is the long narrow part at one end of it. □ [+ of ] Catherine gripped the broken neck of the bottle.
4 VERB [usu cont] If two people are necking , they are kissing each other in a sexual way. [INFORMAL ] □ [V ] They sat talking and necking in the car for another ten minutes. □ [V + with ] I found myself behind a curtain, necking with my best friend. [Also V n]
5 PHRASE If you say that someone is breathing down your neck , you mean that they are watching you very closely and checking everything you do. □ Most farmers have bank managers breathing down their necks.
6 PHRASE In a competition, especially an election, if two or more competitors are neck and neck , they are level with each other and have an equal chance of winning. □ The latest polls indicate that the two main parties are neck and neck. □ [+ with ] The party is running neck-and-neck with Labour.
7 PHRASE If you say that someone is risking their neck , you mean they are doing something very dangerous, often in order to achieve something. □ I won't have him risking his neck on that motorcycle.
8 PHRASE If you stick your neck out , you bravely say or do something that might be criticized or might turn out to be wrong. [INFORMAL ] □ I've earned a reputation as someone who'll stick his neck out, a bit of a rebel.
9 PHRASE If you say that someone is in some sort of trouble or criminal activity up to their neck , you mean that they are deeply involved in it. [INFORMAL ] □ He is probably up to his neck in debt.
10 PHRASE Someone or something that is from your neck of the woods is from the same part of the country as you are. [INFORMAL ] □ It's so good to see you. What brings you to this neck of the woods?
11 to have a millstone round your neck → see millstone
12 the scruff of your neck → see scruff
neck|er|chief /ne kə r tʃiːf, -tʃif/ (neckerchiefs ) N‑COUNT A neckerchief is a piece of cloth which is folded to form a triangle and worn round your neck.
neck|lace /ne kl I s/ (necklaces ) N‑COUNT A necklace is a piece of jewellery such as a chain or a string of beads which someone, usually a woman, wears round their neck. □ …a diamond necklace and matching earrings.
neck|line /ne kla I n/ (necklines ) N‑COUNT The neckline of a dress, blouse, or other piece of clothing is the edge that goes around your neck, especially the front part of it. □ …a dress with pale pink roses around the neckline.
neck|tie /ne kta I / (neckties ) N‑COUNT A necktie is a narrow piece of cloth that someone, usually a man, puts under his shirt collar and ties so that the ends hang down in front.
nec|ro|man|cy /ne krəmænsi/ N‑UNCOUNT Necromancy is magic that some people believe brings a dead person back to this world so that you can talk to them. [FORMAL ]
nec|ro|philia /ne krəf I liə/ N‑UNCOUNT Necrophilia is the act of having sexual intercourse with a dead body, or the desire to do this.
ne|cropo|lis /nekrɒ pəl I s/ (necropolises ) N‑COUNT A necropolis is a place where dead people are buried. [FORMAL ]
ne|cro|sis /nekroʊ s I s/ N‑UNCOUNT Necrosis is the death of part of someone's body, for example because it is not getting enough blood. [MEDICAL ] □ …liver necrosis.
nec|tar /ne ktə r / (nectars ) N‑UNCOUNT Nectar is a sweet liquid produced by flowers, which bees and other insects collect.
nec|tar|ine /ne ktəriːn, -r I n/ (nectarines ) N‑COUNT A nectarine is a round, juicy fruit which is similar to a peach but has a smooth skin.
née /ne I / also nee You use née after a married woman's name and before you mention the surname she had before she got married. [FORMAL ] □ …Lady Helen Taylor (née Windsor).
need ◆◆◆ /niː d/ (needs , needing , needed ) Need sometimes behaves like an ordinary verb, for example 'She needs to know' and 'She doesn't need to know' and sometimes like a modal, for example 'She need know', 'She needn't know', or, in more formal English, 'She need not know.' 1 VERB [no cont] If you need something, or need to do something, you cannot successfully achieve what you want or live properly without it. □ [V n] He desperately needed money. □ [V to-inf] I need to make a phone call. □ [V n to-inf] I need you to do something for me. □ [V n adv/prep] I need you here, Wally. □ [V n adj] I need you sane and sober. ● N‑COUNT [oft N to-inf] Need is also a noun. □ Charles has never felt the need to compete with anyone. □ [+ for ] …the child who never had his need for attention and importance satisfied. □ [+ of ] …the special nutritional needs of the elderly.