require

[ri-kwahyuhr]

verb (used with object)

required, requiring 

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?

verb (used without object)

required, requiring 

1. to demand; impose obligation.

   to do as the law requires.

require

/ 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

Usage

The use of require to as in I require to see the manager or you require to complete a special form is thought by many people to be incorrect: I need to see the manager; you are required to complete a special form

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of require¹

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”; quest ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of require¹

C14: from Old French requerre , from Vulgar Latin requaerere (unattested) to seek after, from Latin requīrere to seek to know, but also influenced by quaerere to seek

Synonym Study

See demand.

Example Sentences

Additionally, it is understood he has a significant release clause that Celtic may be required to meet if they choose to formalise their interest.

Read more on BBC

But when she was required to take an elective course her freshman year, she saw an opportunity to try something that otherwise felt out of reach to her.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And they’re working to divert three-fourths of the city’s food scraps and other organic waste away from landfills, as required under state law.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The power plant dates to the late 1950s and both units are legally required to be shut down by the end of 2029.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Most states are required to accept the federal registration form, just as they would their own state-specific forms.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.