precondition

American  

[pree-kuhn-dish-uhn] / ˌpri kənˈdɪʃ ən /

noun

1. something that must come before or is necessary to a subsequent result; condition.

   a precondition for a promotion.

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verb (used with object)

1. to subject (a person or thing) to a special treatment in preparation for a subsequent experience, process, test, etc..

   to precondition a surface to receive paint.

precondition British  

/ ˌpriːkənˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. a necessary or required condition; prerequisite

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verb

1. (tr) psychol to present successively two stimuli to (an organism) without reinforcement so that they become associated; if a response is then conditioned to the second stimulus on its own, the same response will be evoked by the first stimulus

Etymology

Origin of precondition

First recorded in 1910–15; pre- + condition

Explanation

A precondition is a prerequisite. It’s the thing that has to happen before something else happens. For example, as a precondition to getting your allowance, you might have to give the dog a hairdo once a week. Precondition is often used in the negative – when world leaders meet to discuss something, they might ask for no preconditions. Clean slate. On the other hand, good grades are sometimes a precondition for joining the school basketball team. Applying for a new job can be frustrating when you realize that experience is a precondition, but you're not sure how to get the experience without getting a job. When it's a verb, precondition means to prepare something (or someone).

Example Sentences

The harder reality is this: The sanctions architecture the U.S. spent decades building assumed financial isolation as a precondition for leverage.

From Barron's • Apr. 18, 2026

It is the precondition for any serious education.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2026

The first of these two preconditions was satisfied a couple of years ago, and then in 2024 the second precondition appeared to be close to doing so as well.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 13, 2025

He argued that the RSF should first evacuate its forces from civilian neighbourhoods - essentially demanding their withdrawal from the territories they had captured - as a precondition for talking.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2024

He visualized the concentration of capital in the hands of a select few as the essential precondition for commercial investment and economic growth.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Related Words

• arrangement
• essential
• necessity
• prerequisite
• provision
• qualification
• requirement
• requisite
• stipulation