Use demand when the request carries authority or urgency: 'a demand for justice', 'issue a demand', 'meet demands'. It is stronger than 'request' and implies the requester feels entitled. Common in legal, labour, and political contexts.
Use demand when the request carries authority or urgency: 'a demand for justice', 'issue a demand', 'meet demands'. It is stronger than 'request' and implies the requester feels entitled. Common in legal, labour, and political contexts.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| I demand you pass the salt. | Could you pass the salt, please? |
| She demanded for a refund. | She demanded a refund. |
In economic contexts, demand is a technical term referring specifically to the quantity of a good consumers are willing and able to buy at various prices. Use 'demand' (not 'requests' or 'wants') in discussions of markets, pricing, and supply chains.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| There is high demand for clean water worldwide. | There is high need for clean water worldwide. |
| Demand for tickets raised as the event approached. | Demand for tickets rose as the event approached. |
Demand as a verb is followed directly by a noun or by a 'that' clause: 'demand an explanation', 'demand that it be done'. It is not followed by 'for': 'demand for an answer' is wrong. The 'require' sub-sense ('the job demands patience') is neutral in register.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| She demanded for an explanation. | She demanded an explanation. |
| He demanded that she leaves immediately. | He demanded that she leave immediately. |
Demand carries authority in all its uses. As a noun, it implies something owed or required. As a verb, it is not followed by 'for', and takes the subjunctive in 'that' clauses. In economics, it is a precise technical term.
The verb demand should not be followed by 'for': 'demand for a refund' is wrong; 'demand a refund' is correct. The 'that' clause takes the subjunctive: 'she demanded that he leave', not 'leaves'.
From Old French demander ('to request, demand'), from Latin dēmandāre ('to entrust, charge with a commission'), combining de- ('completely') and mandāre ('to order'). The original Latin sense was entrusting someone with a task; it shifted toward insistent asking in Medieval Latin and Anglo-French legal use. The 'ask with urgency' sense entered English in the early 15th century; the 'require as necessary' sense appeared by the mid-18th century.
What does demand mean?
Demand means a forceful or insistent request (the workers' demand), the economic desire to buy something (consumer demand), or to require something with authority (the job demands patience).
What is the difference between demand and request?
A request is polite and implies the other person has a choice. A demand is forceful and implies entitlement or authority. Demanding is stronger and can sound aggressive in everyday settings.
Is 'demand for' correct grammar?
As a noun, 'demand for' is correct: 'demand for higher wages'. As a verb, 'demand for' is wrong: say 'she demanded a refund', not 'she demanded for a refund'.
What does demand mean in economics?
In economics, demand is the desire and ability of consumers to buy a good or service at various prices. It combines willingness to pay and purchasing power.
What is the origin of the word demand?
Demand comes from Old French demander, from Latin demandare ('to entrust, charge'). The sense of insistent asking developed in Medieval Latin and Anglo-French legal use, entering English in the early 15th century.