if need be
If necessary; if there is a need.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I can walk to work if need be.”
“I take my laptop home every night if need be.”
“We have enough supplies to last a week, but we can buy more if need be.”
“The hotel manager promised to open the kitchen late to feed the arriving guests if need be.”
“The committee agreed to postpone the final vote until next month, if need be, to ensure every member had sufficient time to review the proposal.”
disputed origin
The expression is possibly an alteration of the Old English phrase *ġif þearf bēo*, which translates literally as "if need be". In its original context, the construction was unidiomatic and functioned as a simple statement of existence, equivalent to the modern "if there is a need" or "if a need exists".
The structure survives from a period when Old English lacked an indefinite article and used the verb "to be" as the standard term for existence. The use of the subjunctive mood, which was then common, accounts for the presence of *be* where a modern speaker might expect an indicative form.
Last updated August 10, 2026