Dictionary

require en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɹɪˈkwaɪɹ/ (General-American)
• /ɹɪˈkwaɪə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɹɪˈkwʌɪɹ/ Canada, idle-idol split
• (Southern-England) audio
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Old French requerre (whence Modern French requérir), from Latin requīrō (“to require, seek, ask for”, literally “to seek back”), from re- (“back; again”) + quaerō (“to seek”, whence query).

Meanings

1. To demand, to insist upon (having); to call for authoritatively.
   • ‘Regrettably, I have concluded, after considering the matter over Christmas[…], that I can no longer maintain the high standard of service I require of myself, meet the demands of office and cope with the pressures of public life, without my health deteriorating further.’ 2009 December 29, Vikram Dodd, The Guardian:
   • "I am Miss Newbury," I announced, "and I require to be shown to my room immediately, if you please." 1998, Joan Wolf, The Gamble, Warner Books:
2. Naturally to demand (something) as indispensable; to need, to call for as necessary.
   • Chronic pain is occasionally a sign of a very serious problem, like brain tumors, and can require surgery. 1972 June 5, “Aid for Aching Heads”, in Time:
   • A weapon small enough to put on a missile would require uranium enriched to more than 90% U-235. 2009 February 7, Julian Borger, The Guardian:
3. To demand (of someone) to do something.
   • The government would like to require non-British fiances who wish to marry a British citizen to sit an English test. 2007 December 5, Allegra Stratton, “Smith to ban non-EU unskilled immigrants from working in UK”, in The Guardian:
   • It is required (of me) that I give evidence in court.
   • After Aug 3 all salesgirls will be required to wear only one style of skirt while on duty: the midi. 1970 June 29, “Compulsory Midi”, in Time:
4. (obsolete) To ask (someone) for something; to request; to beseech.
   • I requyre the in the name of god, that thou torment me nott. 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Mark:
   • I requyre yow lete vs be sworne to gyders that neuer none of vs shalle after this day haue adoo with other, and there with alle syre Tristram and sire Lamorak sware that neuer none of hem shold fyghte ageynst other nor for wele, nor for woo. 1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum XI”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book IX, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC, page 355:

Forms

Deriveds

desperate times require desperate measures · requirable · requirability · prerequire · unrequire · extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence · require improvement

Relateds

requirement · requisite · request

Synonyms

exact · provide · call for · ask

Translations (90)

fr demander (to need) · pt precisar de (to need) · it necessitare (to need) · fi edellyttää (to need) · ru потре́бовать (to demand, call for authoritatively) · cs žádat (to demand, call for authoritatively) · es requerir (to need) · pt necessitar (to need) · gl requirir (to need) · fr exiger de (to demand of (someone)) · cs vyžadovat (to need) · sv behöva (to need) · ia requirer (to need) · tr icap etmek (to need) · sv kräva (to demand, call for authoritatively) · sv avkräva (to demand of (someone)) · cmn 需要 (to need) · hu követel (to demand, call for authoritatively) · uk потребува́ти (to need) · bg нуждая се (to need) · fi edellyttää (to demand of (someone)) · gl requirir (to demand, call for authoritatively) · fr nécessiter (to need) · ja 必要とする (to need) · fr prier (to demand of (someone)) · sv utkräva (to demand, call for authoritatively) · ru тре́бовать (to demand, call for authoritatively) · it esigere (to demand, call for authoritatively) · cs žádat (to need) · ja 要求する (to demand, call for authoritatively) · fi vaatia (to need) · ca exigir (to demand, call for authoritatively) · ru потре́бовать (to demand of (someone)) · da kræve (to need) · es precisar (de) (to need) · de erfordern (to need) · ar تَطَلَّبَ (to need) · ja 要する (to need) · eo bezoni (to need) · fi vaatia (to demand, call for authoritatively) · lo ຕ້ອງການ (to need) · hy անհրաժեշտ լինել (to need) · de brauchen (to need) · ko 요구하다 (to demand, call for authoritatively) · bg изисквам (to demand, call for authoritatively) · fr requérir (to need) · tr gereksinmek (to need) · chr ᎤᏂᎬᎦ (to need) · fi perätä (to demand, call for authoritatively) · ar اِقْتَضَى (to need) · grc δέω (to need) · ja 要求する (to demand of (someone)) · el χρειάζομαι (to need) · fr avoir besoin de (to need) · hy պահանջել (to demand, call for authoritatively) · be запатрабава́ць (to demand, call for authoritatively) · be патрабава́ць (to demand, call for authoritatively) · fi vaatia (to demand of (someone)) · vi yêu cầu (to demand, call for authoritatively) · bg искам (to demand of (someone)) · fr exiger (to demand, call for authoritatively) · de benötigen (to need) · it richiedere (to need) · pl potrzebować (to need) · ru тре́бовать (to demand of (someone)) · cs požadovat (to demand, call for authoritatively) · gl esixir (to demand, call for authoritatively) · gl precisar (to need) · gl requirir (to demand of (someone)) · io necesigar (to need) · da kræve (to demand, call for authoritatively) · eo postuli (to demand, call for authoritatively) · cmn 要求 (to demand of (someone)) · de erfordern (to demand, call for authoritatively) · it prevedere (to demand, call for authoritatively) · pt requerer (to demand, call for authoritatively) · pt exigir (to demand, call for authoritatively) · sv kräva (to need) · hu megkövetel (to demand, call for authoritatively) · cmn 要求 (to demand, call for authoritatively) · cs vyžadovat (to demand, call for authoritatively) · ca requerir (to demand, call for authoritatively) · hy պահանջել (to demand of (someone)) · hy կարիք ունենալ (to need) · tr gerektirmek (to need) · it domandare (to demand of (someone)) · pt requerer (to need) · uk вимага́ти (to demand, call for authoritatively) · it richiedere (to demand of (someone)) · txb ñäsk- (to demand, call for authoritatively)