Synonyms of require

require

verb

ri-ˈkwī(-ə)r 

as in to need

to have as a requirement

the toy requires four batteries, which are not included

Synonyms & Similar Words

• need
• want
• take
• involve
• necessitate
• demand
• warrant
• call for
• claim
• challenge
• entail
• ask
• bear
• beg
• lack
• insist
• cry (for)
• hurt (for)
• stipulate
• enjoin
• exact
• quest
• clamor (for)
• command
• press

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• have
• hold
• possess
• own

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb require contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of require are claim, demand, and exact. While all these words mean "to ask or call for something as due or as necessary," require suggests the imperativeness that arises from inner necessity, compulsion of law or regulation, or the exigencies of the situation.

the patient requires constant attention

When is it sensible to use claim instead of require?

The synonyms claim and require are sometimes interchangeable, but claim implies a demand for the delivery or concession of something due as one's own or one's right.

claimed the right to manage his own affairs

When is demand a more appropriate choice than require?

While the synonyms demand and require are close in meaning, demand implies peremptoriness and insistence and often the right to make requests that are to be regarded as commands.

demanded payment of the debt

Where would exact be a reasonable alternative to require?

In some situations, the words exact and require are roughly equivalent. However, exact implies not only demanding but getting what one demands.

exacts absolute loyalty

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of require

Measures for the sewage crisis and countering Trump’s domestic agenda require county staff to probe available funding, from grants and philanthropy to new taxes and an overhaul of how the county calculates its reserves. —Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2025

Reservations required: Which national parks require them in 2025 Unrelated, the executive order also revokes a presidential memorandum signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2017 that promoted a range of diversity and inclusion efforts in the management of national parks and other public lands. —Eve Chen, USA Today, 5 July 2025

Further cuts will be required to reduce the U.S. deficit with the Congressional Budget Office projecting Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill will add $2.4 trillion to the national debt. —James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 July 2025

The key is balance: combining such contrasting pieces requires a strategic approach. —René Chávez Esparza, Glamour, 4 July 2025