require
Americanverb (used with object)
-
requires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
required,
past participle, past
-
requiring
present participle
-
to have need of; need.
He requires medical care.
-
to call on authoritatively; order or enjoin to do something.
to require an agent to account for money spent.
-
to ask for authoritatively or imperatively; demand.
- Antonyms:
- forgo
-
to impose need or occasion for; make necessary or indispensable.
The work required infinite patience.
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to call for or exact as obligatory; ordain.
The law requires annual income-tax returns.
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to place under an obligation or necessity.
The situation requires me to take immediate action.
- Synonyms:
- necessitate, obligate
-
Chiefly British. to desire; wish to have.
Will you require tea at four o'clock?
verb (used without object)
-
requires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
required,
past participle, past
-
requiring
present participle
verb
-
to have need of; depend upon; want
-
to impose as a necessity; make necessary
this work requires precision
-
(also intr) to make formal request (for); insist upon or demand, esp as an obligation
-
to call upon or oblige (a person) authoritatively; order or command
to require someone to account for his actions
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
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requirernoun
-
prerequireverb (used with object)
-
nonrequirableadjective
-
quasi-requiredadjective
-
requirableadjective
-
unrequiredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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requiresimple
-
requiressimple
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have requiredperfect
-
has requiredperfect
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am requiringprogressive
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are requiringprogressive
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is requiringprogressive
-
have been requiringperfect progressive
-
has been requiringperfect progressive
Past
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requiredsimple
-
had requiredperfect
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was requiringprogressive
-
were requiringprogressive
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had been requiringperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing require
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 81-90
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Quartering Act (1765)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The committee does not have the power to sanction the mayor but it can investigate, require answers, expose problems and challenge decisions.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The real Bambino, meanwhile, didn’t require chauffeuring; he eventually returned home of his own accord, unaware of the lengths to which humans had gone to retrieve him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
USC considers SAT and ACT scores if applicants submit them but does not require them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
But arriving at the future of autonomous robot helpers will require more data, smarter AI models and better hardware.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Simple errors can be fixed with an eraser; more complicated blunders require an apology and a sincere effort to make things right.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
Democracy requires interactions, and if we cannot find a way to find common ground, that’s my big worry.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The “data-center buildout requires capital which is becoming more expensive,” Luria said, as higher rates mean higher funding costs for companies investing heavily in AI infrastructure.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
As chief innovation officer at baby-care brand HealthyBaby, Swank and the company’s founder-CEO helped advocate for the passage of new California legislation that requires brands to provide more transparency into diaper ingredients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Traditionally, examining these relationships requires several minutes of brain imaging data.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Good and active listening, on the other hand, is something that is done consciously, and requires some type of focus or engagement on behalf of the individual.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
But Lugo concurred with Teymouri’s argument that the family’s extreme wealth and potential risk of flight required her to set a high bail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The letter states Omar and her lawyers weren’t given a copy of the warrant prior to the search, as had been required by the judge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
In most countries, a Wi-Fi connection is required.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The findings suggest that Heisenberg significantly underestimated how much additional material his reactor would have required.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Usually, anyone working near radiation would be required to carry this potentially lifesaving device.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Perhaps Bass’ biggest housing accomplishment during her first term was Executive Directive 1, which she signed her first week in office, requiring the city to fast-track approval of 100% affordable housing projects with below-market rents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Last month, a review by the Northern Ireland Assembly into Donaldson's conduct during his time at Stormont found "no relevant information" requiring further investigation.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Depreciation expense reduces the taxable portion of rental income without requiring a check.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
The state recently started requiring large customers to pay a $50,000-a-megawatt deposit for complex engineering studies to assess the project’s impact on the grid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
We have been given nineteen rooms to clean, most of them “checkouts,” as opposed to “stay-overs,” and requiring the whole enchilada of bed stripping, vacuuming, and bathroom scrubbing.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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