DictionaryAI

requirement

noun
USri-KWYR-muhnt/ɹɪˈkwaɪɹmənt/UKri-KWY-uh-muhnt/ɹɪˈkwʌɪəm(ə)nt/

Pluralrequirements

2 meanings of requirement

Practice

  1. 1
    conditionnouncountable
    Something that is needed or demanded, or that must be done or had, often as a condition for something else.

    Passing the written test is a requirement for getting a driver's license.

    The new regulations placed strict requirements on local businesses.

    UsagePeople meet or fulfill a requirement; it can be a requirement for something or be placed on someone. The requirements of the law are what the law demands.

    Similarcriterion

  2. 2
    engineeringnouncountable
    A statement that specifies a verifiable constraint an implementation must meet, or else be judged unacceptable or cause the system to fail.

    Each requirement in the specification must be testable against the finished build.

    Auditors flagged two requirements that the prototype failed to satisfy.

    UsageOften plural: a product meets or satisfies the requirements; users see system requirements before installing software.

    Similarconstraint, specification

    Note

    Engineers and software teams use the word as a term of art, and its defining trait is that it can be checked. A requirement must be verifiable against the finished implementation, and missing one can mean rejection, a failed implementation or a failed system. Ordinary users meet the plural in system requirements, the conditions a device must meet for software to run, or to run well. Unlike the everyday sense of necessity, it is a precise written statement.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of requirement apart? Answer 2 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Formed from the verb "require" combined with the suffix "-ment".

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 1 fact