require

[ ri-kwahyuhr ]

verb (used with object)

, re·quired, re·quir·ing.

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)

, re·quired, re·quir·ing.

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

Derived Forms

• reˈquirable, adjective
• reˈquirer, noun

Other Words From

• re·quira·ble adjective
• re·quirer noun
• nonre·quira·ble adjective
• prere·quire verb (used with object) prerequired prerequiring
• quasi-re·quired adjective
• unre·quired 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

Students from lower-risk areas were required to arrive one week before classes began.

From Fortune

That would still take two decades, and require a lot of workers and money.

From MIT Technology Review

It has been revised to require two flips to insert the edge.

From Quanta Magazine

The company wasn’t required to keep workers on the payroll or stop returning money to shareholders.

From ProPublica

These apps may not charge a maximum APR higher than 36%, including costs or fees and fees, or require payment in full in 60 days or less.

From TechCrunch

House rules require an absolute majority of members voting to choose a speaker.

From The Daily Beast

Limbaugh makes comments like this because his right-wing fans require a non–stop diet of race-baiting red meat.

From The Daily Beast

That makes New York the ninth state to require such coverage.

From The Daily Beast

Chickens require significantly less land, water, and energy than all other meat options except farmed salmon.

From The Daily Beast

Bohac said the bill does not require anyone to say “Merry Christmas” if they are not up for it.

From The Daily Beast

The events which succeeded this fortunate capture are too well known to require more than a very brief recapitulation.

From Project Gutenberg

While the test is somewhat tedious, all the manipulations are simple and require no apparatus but flasks, test-tubes, and funnels.

From Project Gutenberg

We followed the upland past the end of the Stone till we found a slope that didn't require wings for descent.

From Project Gutenberg

Are you quite sure,” asked the missionary pointedly, “that you are supplied with everything else that you require?

From Project Gutenberg

The terms law and equity are frequently used in the law books and require explanation.

From Project Gutenberg

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.