Meaning

5 senses
  1. (auxiliary, defective, modal, no past participle, no present participle)To do as a requirement; indicates that the sentence subject is required as an imperative or directive to execute the sentence predicate, with failure to do so resulting in a failure or negative consequence.

    You must arrive in class on time.

    This door handle must be rotated fully.

    müssen

    до́лженdólžen, должна́dolžná, должно́dolžnó

    му́ситиmúsyty, пови́ннийpovýnnyj, пови́ненpovýnen

  2. (auxiliary, defective, modal, no past participle, no present participle)To do with certainty; indicates that the speaker is certain that the subject will have executed the predicate.

    If it has rained all day, it must be very wet outside.

    Where would you have put the keyring? You couldn’t have lost it again! - I must have, because it's nowhere to be found.

  3. (auxiliary, defective, modal, no past participle, no present participle)Used to indicate that something is very likely, probable, or certain to be true.

    The children must be asleep by now.

    There's the doorbell. It must be Dad.

    должно́ бытьdolžnó bytʹ, наве́рноеnavérnoje

  4. (auxiliary, defective, modal, transitive)To make musty.

  5. (auxiliary, defective, intransitive, modal)To become musty.

Examples

9386 sentences
  1. You must pay attention to him.

    Ти повинен звертати на нього увагу.

    ruТы должен обращать на него внимание.

    deDu musst ihm Aufmerksamkeit schenken.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  2. You must go to bed now.

    Ти маєш зараз іти до ліжка.

    deDu musst jetzt ins Bett gehen.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · A1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  3. You must stick to your promise.

    Ти повинен дотримуватися обіцянки.

    ruТы должен держать обещание.

    deSie müssen Ihr Versprechen halten.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  4. The strong must help the weak.

    Сильні повинні допомогати слабким.

    ruСильный должен помогать слабому.

    deDie Starken müssen den Schwachen helfen.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  5. You must not give up hope.

    Не треба втрачати надію.

    ruВы не должны терять надежду.

    deDu darfst die Hoffnung nicht aufgeben.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · A1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
be required to:
Русский
By meaning 2
be required to:
said about something that is very likely, probable, or certain to be true:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
be required to:

Origin

From Middle English moste ("must", literally, "had to", the past tense of Middle English m

From Middle English moste ("must", literally, "had to", the past tense of Middle English moten (“to have to”)), from Old English mōste (“had to”), 1st & 3rd person singular past tense of mōtan (“to be allowed, be able to, have the opportunity to, be compelled to, must, may”), from Proto-Germanic *mōtaną. Cognate with Dutch moest (“had to”), German musste (“had to”), Swedish måste (“must, have to, be obliged to”). More at mote.

From Middle English must, from Old English must and Old French must, most, both from Latin mustum.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

must, musting, must, musted
Base formmust · to must
Past simplemust / musted

Modal verbs have one form for every person and take a bare infinitive.

AffirmativeNegativeQuestion
Imust …mustn't …Must I …?
youmust …mustn't …Must you …?
he, she, itmust …mustn't …Must he …?
wemust …mustn't …Must we …?
theymust …mustn't …Must they …?

Word family

12 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
must — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto