Vocabulary     

What does require mean?

Definitions for require
rɪˈkwaɪərre·quire

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word require.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. necessitate, ask, postulate, need, require, take, involve, call for, demandverb

    require as useful, just, or proper

    "It takes nerve to do what she did"; "success usually requires hard work"; "This job asks a lot of patience and skill"; "This position demands a lot of personal sacrifice"; "This dinner calls for a spectacular dessert"; "This intervention does not postulate a patient's consent"

  2. ask, require, expectverb

    consider obligatory; request and expect

    "We require our secretary to be on time"; "Aren't we asking too much of these children?"; "I expect my students to arrive in time for their lessons"

  3. command, requireverb

    make someone do something

  4. want, need, requireverb

    have need of

    "This piano wants the attention of a competent tuner"

Wiktionary

  1. requireverb

    To ask (someone) for something; to request.

  2. requireverb

    To demand, to insist upon (having); to call for authoritatively.

  3. requireverb

    Naturally to demand (something) as indispensable; to need, to call for as necessary.

  4. requireverb

    To demand of (someone) to do something.

  5. Etymology: From requerre (French: requérir), from *, from requiro.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. To REQUIREverb

    Etymology: requiro, Lat. requerir, Fr.

    Ye me require
    A thing without the compass of my wit;
    For both the lineage and the certain sire,
    From which I sprung, are from me hidden yet. Edmund Spenser.

    We do require them of you, so to use them,
    As we shall find their merits. William Shakespeare, King Lear.

    This, the very law of nature teacheth us to do, and this the law of God requireth also at our hands. Henry Spelman.

    This imply’d
    Subjection, but requir’d with gentle sway. John Milton.

    Oft our alliance other lands desir’d,
    And what we seek of you, of us requir’d. Dryden.

    God, when he gave the world in common to all mankind, commanded men also to labour, and the penury of his condition required it. John Locke.

    The king’s business required haste. 1 Sam. xxi. 8.

    High from the ground the branches would require
    Thy utmost reach. John Milton.

    But why, alas! do mortal men complain;
    God gives us what he knows our wants require,
    And better things than those which we desire. Dryden.

ChatGPT

  1. require

    Require generally means to need something or to insist on something. It can refer to a situation or condition where something is necessary or obligatory, or a rule or law that demands an action to be taken. It can also mean to request or demand a specific action from someone.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Requireverb

    to demand; to insist upon having; to claim as by right and authority; to exact; as, to require the surrender of property

  2. Requireverb

    to demand or exact as indispensable; to need

  3. Requireverb

    to ask as a favor; to request

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Require

    rē-kwīr′, v.t. to ask: to demand: to need: to exact: to direct.—adj. Requir′able, that may be required: fit or proper to be required.—ns. Require′ment, act of requiring: claim: demand; Requir′er; Requir′ing. [Fr.,—L. requirĕre.]

Editors Contribution

  1. require

    A just and fair request.

    They did require a specific amount of food so it was granted.


    Submitted by MaryC on April 10, 2020  

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'require' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1484

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'require' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2772

  3. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'require' in Verbs Frequency: #76

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for require »

  1. querier

How to pronounce require?

How to say require in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of require in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of require in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of require in a Sentence

  1. Janet Yellen:

    Economic conditions are anticipated to evolve in a manner that will only require gradual increases in the federal funds rate.

  2. Ron Klain:

    It's challenges like this that require you to have experienced, competent people in the government, and... a President willing to listen.

  3. Judith Bliss:

    Our results are a strong foundation on which to build further trials of combination anti-HER2 therapies prior to surgery – which could reduce the number of women who require subsequent chemotherapy, which is also very effective but can lead to long-term side effects.

  4. Paul Secunda:

    In that case it was very clear (Florida) didn't have any data that people in poverty were more likely to be on drugs, we now have a pretty good understanding that if you require people to be drug tested, that is considered an invasion of privacy.

  5. Glenn Gass:

    I don't hate all holidays. Just the ones that make me depressed, require me to spend time with family members that just come around for the food, and the ones that require me to get up early and go to church. Arbor Day! can't wait

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Popularity rank by frequency of use

require#1#1539#10000

References

Translations for require

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"require." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 15 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/require>.

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