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

The new law, passed as Assembly Bill 1454, requires all school districts to adopt curricula aligned with what supporters call the “science of reading.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Grijalva would potentially be the final vote required on a petition to release the Epstein files.

Read more on Salon

However, she told MSPs that the bill would require significant amendments to be "workable".

Read more on BBC

The optimism already priced into many asset classes will require the robust economic growth that comes from productivity acceleration.

Read more on Barron's

Along with rare earths, China is going to require some export licenses for certain lithium-ion batteries.

Read more on Barron's

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.