requirement
Americannoun
-
something demanded or imposed as an obligation
Latin is no longer a requirement for entry to university
-
a thing desired or needed
-
the act or an instance of requiring
Usage
What does requirement mean? A requirement is something that’s mandatory or necessary—it’s something you need to have or need to do. Requirement is most often used in official contexts in which achieving a certain status requires you to perform certain actions or have certain things, such as documents. Example: By passing this class you have now met all of the basic requirements for your major and will be able to walk at graduation in May.
Synonym Usage
Requirement, requisite refer to that which is necessary. A requirement is some quality or performance demanded of a person in accordance with certain fixed regulations: requirements for admission to college. A requisite is not imposed from outside; it is a factor which is judged necessary according to the nature of things, or to the circumstances of the case: Efficiency is a requisite for success in business. Requisite may also refer to a concrete object judged necessary: the requisites for perfect grooming.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of requirement
Explanation
Necessary, inescapable, and non-negotiable, a requirement is something that must be done, like the dishes. Speaking politely to your grandparents may be a requirement of living in your parents' house. Requirements can be imposed by an authority. For example, in college, it is usually a requirement that you study math, English, and history, before you go on to get your degree in underwater basket weaving. We can also speak of the requirements of a living system: your body requires water to stay alive; light is a requirement of photosynthesis.
Vocabulary lists containing requirement
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 81-90
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Supreme Court healthcare ruling
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"Building Design and Construction Handbook," Vocabulary from Section 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She is also waiting for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to release its analysis on how the electrical grid could handle such a requirement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
By contrast, in the UK there is no legal requirement, external to reveal that a person died in a property.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
In legalese, this requirement is known as mens rea—literally, “guilty mind.”
From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026
There is no requirement for any Venezuelan government participation in the board.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
He asks if any of us are not longterm Minnesota residents, and when I raise my hand he says the requirement can sometimes be waived.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
The government is also consulting on whether local leaders should have extra powers, including setting fees and requirements for operators to share data to improve enforcement and journey planning.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Chartered flights account for a fraction of U.S. civilian air traffic, and federal safety requirements are less stringent for those operators than for airlines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
They must meet certain basic requirements, such as that the relationship is consensual and they not related by blood, for example.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Medicaid does cover some of those services, but eligibility requirements vary by state and by circumstances.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
The investigation revealed that the task force seized large amounts of money, but also small amounts, and then dispensed it freely, unconstrained by reporting requirements or the task force’s mission.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
