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:
A core feature of Australian superannuation is a legal requirement that employers contribute 12% of an eligible employee’s annual earnings to privately managed super funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Iren said in the press release that customer prepayments made up approximately 45% of the capital expenditures associated with graphic processing units, “reducing Iren’s net funding requirement for those deployments.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
To solve this problem, Bauer-Kahan put an entertainment industry exception in the bill, exempting “printers manufactured for and sold exclusively to entertainment industry stagecraft and propmaking studios” from the software requirement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
In June and July, the siblings carried out the legal requirement of publishing their name-change intention in a local paper for four weeks.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
His status made him exempt from the state-mandated competency tests that were a requirement for a high school diploma, and he had never taken college boards.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
The transfer came with broader changes to an existing credit agreement, including revising minimum liquidity requirements and removing certain financial metric minimums, according to the company’s latest quarterly filing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
"We're not focused on any particular timeline. We're focused on fulfilling the legal and statutory requirements," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
The reviews will examine whether the hardware and software meet performance requirements and whether appropriate hazard controls are in place.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
Students applying by Dec. 1, 2026, for fall 2027 admission will not have to submit SAT or ACT scores, and the university has not decided whether requirements will change for fall 2028 or later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
The membership requirements are kinda messed up, but whatever.
From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
Definitions 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.
