What does require mean?
Require is a transitive verb meaning to make something necessary, to demand that something be done, or to insist that a condition be satisfied. A project may require additional time, a regulation may require identification, and an employer may require staff to follow a safety procedure. The word is especially common in formal, professional, legal, and administrative contexts, where it signals obligation or necessity. Require can describe what is needed for a practical task, as in “This task requires patience,” or it can impose a formal duty, as in “The law requires employers to provide protective equipment.” It is often more forceful than need: need may express personal necessity, while require often presents an external condition, rule, or demand. The verb is followed by a noun, a gerund, or an infinitive with “to,” and it is commonly used with nouns such as approval, attention, permission, and documentation.
verbTo need or make something necessary, or to demand that someone do something or provide something. It can also mean that a condition must be met for something to happen or be valid.
- To say that something is necessary or that someone must do something.
- To demand or insist on something, especially in a formal or official context.
"The application requires a valid passport and proof of address."
"The job requires strong analytical skills and careful attention to detail."
"The regulations require all applicants to submit documentation before the deadline."
Require comes from Latin requirere, literally “to seek out,” so the word originally carried the sense of searching for or demanding something.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does require come from?
Require entered Middle English through Anglo-Norman French, from the Latin requirere, meaning “to seek out” or “to demand.” Latin requirere was formed from the prefix re- and quaerere, “to seek,” a root also preserved in words such as acquire and request. The modern meaning developed from seeking or demanding something through to making it necessary or obligatory.
Related word forms
How require is actually used
Require is common in formal, professional, and legal contexts. It is generally stronger and more obligatory than need when used of rules, conditions, or responsibilities.
Easily confused with require
A request is something asked for, whereas a requirement is something necessary or formally obligatory.