requisition

American  

[rek-wuh-zish-uhn] / ˌrɛk wəˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

requisitions plural

1. the act of requiring or demanding.

2. a demand made.

3. an authoritative or formal demand for something to be done, given, supplied, etc..

   The general issued a requisition to the townspeople for eight trucks.

4. a written request or order for something, as supplies.

5. the form on which such an order is drawn up.

6. the state of being required for use or called into service.

   to put something in requisition.

7. a requirement or essential condition.

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verb (used with object)

requisitions, present (3rd person singular) requisitioned, past participle, past requisitioning present participle

1. to require or take for use; press into service.

2. to demand or take, as by authority, for military purposes, public needs, etc..

   to requisition supplies.

requisition British  

/ ˌrɛkwɪˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. a request or demand, esp an authoritative or formal one

2. an official form on which such a demand is made

3. the act of taking something over, esp temporarily for military or public use in time of emergency

4. a necessary or essential condition; requisite

5. a formal request by one government to another for the surrender of a fugitive from justice

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verb

1. to demand and take for use or service, esp by military or public authority

2. (may take an infinitive) to require (someone) formally to do (something)

   to requisition a soldier to drive a staff officer's car

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrequisition
  noun
• requisitioner
  noun
• requisitionist
  noun
• requisitionary
  adjective
• unrequisitioned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• requisitions
  plural

Participles

• requisitioning
  present
• requisitioned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• requisition
  simple
• requisitions
  simple
• have requisitioned
  perfect
• has requisitioned
  perfect
• am requisitioning
  progressive
• are requisitioning
  progressive
• is requisitioning
  progressive
• have been requisitioning
  perfect progressive
• has been requisitioning
  perfect progressive

Past

• requisitioned
  simple
• had requisitioned
  perfect
• was requisitioning
  progressive
• were requisitioning
  progressive
• had been requisitioning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will requisition
  simple
• will have requisitioned
  perfect
• will be requisitioning
  progressive
• will have been requisitioning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of requisition

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin requīsītiōn- (stem of requīsītiō ) a searching, equivalent to Latin requīsīt ( us ) requisite + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Requisition is a very official-sounding word that usually means "to take or seize." We're sorry that your luxury suite has been requisitioned by the mayor's office. No, we have no idea what he's doing in there. Requisition looks a little like "request" and, in fact, it comes from the Old French word meaning exactly that. It can still be used that way, like when you make a requisition for a new office desk because the old one has three broken drawers. If a police officer requisitions your car for use in a high speed chase, it will initially require less paperwork.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

requisition requisitions requisitioned requisitioning

The case manager has to make a requisition, and that often follows a negotiation with the client.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2025

"We will respond to any potential meeting requisition if and when it is received in the appropriate format," an RFU spokesperson said.

From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2024

The requisition is for three employees per shift and is valid for 48 hours as needed, the French energy ministry said.

From Reuters ● Mar. 21, 2023

United said in an emailed statement that it receives “thousands of applications whenever we open up a requisition, and are only able to keep it open for a few days due to interest!”

From Washington Post ● Oct. 5, 2022

It was by no means his daughter’s wish that the intellects of Highbury in general should be put under requisition.

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

Amazon told recruiters not to call its latest move a hiring freeze, the email read, but that all open job requisitions should be closed in the coming days.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2022

It recalls, said Mr. Sytnychenko, the Soviet Union’s requisitions of grain in the 1930s that caused a famine that historians say killed at least three million Ukrainians, a tragedy known as the Holodomor.

From New York Times ● Aug. 4, 2022

Intel is "pausing all hiring and placing all job requisitions on hold" in its client computing group, according to the memo sent on Wednesday.

From Reuters ● Jun. 8, 2022

Fearful of simmering Ukrainian nationalism, Stalin applied economic “sanctions” to regions that could not fulfill government requisitions.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 12, 2022

Kamen submitted the list and stood by uneasily as Cooksey, who had been known to hold lengthy conferences over requisitions worth a single dollar, scrutinized every entry.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

The troops are requisitioned, the destroyers in place, the full moon just right, the secrecy of the invasion delicate.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

Authorities requisitioned three luxury hotels, but shops remained open, unlike during the first round of talks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

Large residences in the area were requisitioned by M23 leaders after they seized the city.

From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026

They will join others who were legally requisitioned to earlier to help with the clean-up.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2023

But the entire national supply of copper had been requisitioned for other war needs, and not even Groves’s bullishness could overcome that cold fact.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

"If there are very tense situations tomorrow... we will also carry out requisitioning," Borne said, calling for an end to the strike.

From Reuters ● Oct. 16, 2022

During World War II, commercial fishing in the North Sea ceased almost entirely because of the requisitioning of fishing boats, restrictions on their movement and the drafting of fishermen for the war.

From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2022

Life was forged in the furnace of adversity, establishing itself by artfully requisitioning and repurposing the silver lining of misfortune.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 9, 2021

Authorities are requisitioning all face masks to reserve them for those infected with the virus and health workers, President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday.

From Fox News ● Mar. 11, 2020

The warehouse keeper, busy counting out some spare engine parts to a requisitioning sergeant of the Guard, looked up briefly from his clipboard.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman