dictionary definitions for "require"


From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Require \Re*quire"\ (r?-kw?r"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Required
     (-kw?rd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Requiring.] [OE. requeren,
     requiren, OF. requerre, F. requ?rir; L. pref. re- re- +
     quaerere to ask; cf. L. requirere. See Query, and cf.
     Request, Requisite.]
     1. To demand; to insist upon having; to claim as by right and
        authority; to exact; as, to require the surrender of
        property.
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              Shall I say to Caesar
              What you require of him?              --Shak.
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              By nature did what was by law required. --Dryden.
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     2. To demand or exact as indispensable; to need.
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              Just gave what life required, and gave no more.
                                                    --Goldsmith.
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              The two last [biographies] require to be
              particularly noticed.                 --J. A.
                                                    Symonds.
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     3. To ask as a favor; to request.
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              I was ashamed to require of the king a band of
              soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy
              in the way.                           --Ezra viii.
                                                    22.
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     Syn: To claim; exact; enjoin; prescribe; direct; order;
          demand; need.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:

  require
      v 1: 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" [syn: necessitate, ask,
           postulate, need, require, take, involve, {call
           for}, demand] [ant: eliminate, obviate, rid of]
      2: 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" [syn: ask, require, expect]
      3: make someone do something [syn: command, require]
      4: have need of; "This piano wants the attention of a competent
         tuner" [syn: want, need, require]


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