require

American  

[ri-kwahyuhr] / rɪˈkwaɪər /

verb (used with object)

requires, present (3rd person singular) required, past participle, past requiring present participle

1. to have need of; need.

   He requires medical care.

2. to call on authoritatively; order or enjoin to do something.

   to require an agent to account for money spent.

3. to ask for authoritatively or imperatively; demand.

   Antonyms:

   forgo

4. to impose need or occasion for; make necessary or indispensable.

   The work required infinite patience.

5. to call for or exact as obligatory; ordain.

   The law requires annual income-tax returns.

6. to place under an obligation or necessity.

   The situation requires me to take immediate action.

   Synonyms:

   necessitate, obligate

7. Chiefly British. to desire; wish to have.

   Will you require tea at four o'clock?

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verb (used without object)

requires, present (3rd person singular) required, past participle, past requiring present participle

1. to demand; impose obligation.

   to do as the law requires.

require British  

/ rɪˈkwaɪə /

verb

1. to have need of; depend upon; want

2. to impose as a necessity; make necessary

   this work requires precision

3. (also intr) to make formal request (for); insist upon or demand, esp as an obligation

4. to call upon or oblige (a person) authoritatively; order or command

   to require someone to account for his actions

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Usage

What are other ways to say require? To require something is to have a need for it or to ask for it authoritatively. How does require compare to synonyms want, need, and lack? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

Synonym Usage

See demand.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prerequire
  verb (used with object)
• requirer
  noun
• requirable
  adjective
• quasi-required
  adjective
• nonrequirable
  adjective
• unrequired
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has required
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have required
  perfect
• are requiring
  progressive
• is requiring
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been requiring
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• requiring
  participle
• requires
  singular 3rd person
• have been requiring
  perfect progressive
• am requiring
  progressive 1st person singular

Past

• had required
  perfect
• was requiring
  progressive singular
• were requiring
  progressive plural
• had been requiring
  perfect progressive
• required
  simple
• required
  participle

Future

• will require
  simple
• will have required
  perfect
• will be requiring
  progressive
• will have been requiring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of require

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English requiren, from Latin requīrere, equivalent to re- re- ( def. ) + -quīrere, combining form of quaerere “to seek, search for”; cf. quest ( def. )

Explanation

Require means to need. You require food, water, and shelter to live, but do you really require that new pair of high-fashion shoes? The verb require comes from Latin root words re-, meaning "repeatedly," and quaerere, meaning "to ask." The word lost the sense of asking and came to mean needing, demanding, or insisting upon something. The law requires that you attend school until you're sixteen; your parents probably require you to finish high school. If you're a waiter in a fancy restaurant and the food has been served, you might ask if your customers require anything else.

Example Sentences

The developers called the possibility of switching sites a “red herring” because it would require them to restart a multi-year entitlement process.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

She said she had asked the five commissioners to reveal their records, which California allows but does not require.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

She sent on the information which had been requested in late December, but when she phoned for an update was told that Capita would also require a letter of representation from a solicitor.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Building the grand staircase today would require the demolition of hundreds of apartments and stores.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

They require the use of long, random, nonrepeating keys that only the sender and receiver know.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Related Words

• call for
• cause
• compel
• demand
• expect
• instruct
• involve
• obligate
• oblige
• order
• request
• take