require
Americanverb (used with object)
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to have need of; need.
He requires medical care.
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to call on authoritatively; order or enjoin to do something.
to require an agent to account for money spent.
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to ask for authoritatively or imperatively; demand.
- Antonyms:
- forgo
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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
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Chiefly British. to desire; wish to have.
Will you require tea at four o'clock?
verb (used without object)
verb
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to have need of; depend upon; want
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to impose as a necessity; make necessary
this work requires precision
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(also intr) to make formal request (for); insist upon or demand, esp as an obligation
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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
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nonrequirableadjective
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quasi-requiredadjective
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requirableadjective
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unrequiredadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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requiresimple
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requiressimple
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have requiredperfect
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has requiredperfect
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am requiringprogressive
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are requiringprogressive
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is requiringprogressive
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have been requiringperfect progressive
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has been requiringperfect progressive
Past
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requiredsimple
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had requiredperfect
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was requiringprogressive
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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.
In London, city regulations require developers to adopt cooler design measures—natural ventilation, shutters on windows and better insulation—before installing air conditioning in new buildings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
“A reversal would require not only some dramatic Bank of Japan rate hikes, but also a turn in the broad dollar trend.”
From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026
"No older person should find themselves effectively having to end their day in the middle of the afternoon because the care package they require cannot be fully delivered," Siobhan Casey said.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026
On the statutory question, it held that Title IX’s provisions, particularly the Javits Amendment, which concerns school sports, did not require schools to make reasonable accommodations for trans students.
From Slate • Jun. 30, 2026
“The Stevie books, of course! When Stevie, Kevin, and Chloe try to get into Einan’s lair, they face booby traps that require logic. Evil-guy logic at that.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
