requirement

requirement — noun

1. A condition, rule, or item that a person must have or carry out because a partic

1.nounB1
Definition

A condition, rule, or item that a person must have or carry out because a particular job, course, official process, or situation demands it.

Example

When Sana applied for the engineering job, she checked whether she met all the requirements.

meet + requirement — check if conditions are satisfied

The university's language requirement means each student must complete two semesters of a foreign language.

noun phrase 'language requirement' — a specific type of requirement that must be completed

Common collocations
  • meet the requirements
  • fulfill the requirements
  • satisfy the requirements
  • strict requirements
  • legal requirements
  • technical requirements
  • basic requirements
  • minimum requirements
  • entry requirements
  • job requirements
  • course requirements
  • visa requirements
Synonyms
  • necessity

    more personal and less rule-based; food and water are necessities, not job requirements

  • demand

    stronger and more urgent; implies pressure from someone in authority

  • specification

    more technical and detailed; used in engineering or manufacturing contexts

Antonyms
  • option

    something that is not required; a choice rather than an obligation

Grammar Patterns

meet/fullfil/satisfy + requirement

requirement + for + noun phrase

requirement + that-clause

Usage Note

This sense is very common in plural form (requirements). Frequently appears with verbs such as meet, fulfill, satisfy, and comply with. The subject is often a person, organization, or official body.

Common Mistakes

The job requirements is very strict.
The job requirements are very strict.
'requirements' is plural and takes a plural verb.
I need to fill the requirement of the form.
I need to fulfill the requirements listed on the form.
'fulfill requirements' is the natural collocation; 'fill the requirement' is not idiomatic.

2. Something that is officially expected or needed before a person can be allowed t

2.nounB2
Definition

Something that is officially expected or needed before a person can be allowed to do or receive something else, such as a more advanced course, a particular job, or a service.

Example

Calculus is a prerequisite for the advanced physics course at this university.

prerequisite + for + course — standard noun + preposition pattern

Lien could not join the advanced photography class without first completing the introductory workshop.

negative construction: could not join … without prerequisite

Common collocations
  • prerequisite for
  • prerequisite to
  • prerequisite course
  • prerequisite class
  • academic prerequisite
  • eligibility requirement
Synonyms
  • prerequisite

    the most precise word for this sense, emphasising that something must happen first

  • precondition

    more formal and often used in legal or diplomatic contexts

  • stipulation

    focuses on a term or condition set by an agreement or contract

Antonyms
  • result

    what follows after the prerequisite has been satisfied

  • outcome

    a consequence rather than a prior condition

Grammar Patterns

be a prerequisite + for + noun phrase

prerequisite + to + noun phrase

Usage Note

Typically followed by for (prerequisite for something) or to (prerequisite to something). Often used in academic and professional settings. Unlike the broader sense 1, this sense always implies a sequence: X must happen before Y.

Common Mistakes

Calculus is a requirement for the advanced course.' (when the intended meaning is prerequisite)
Calculus is a prerequisite for the advanced course.
'requirement' is broader and does not emphasise that something must come before; 'prerequisite' specifically refers to prior conditions.
I need to take the prerequisite of the exam.
I need to take the prerequisite course before the exam.
'prerequisite' typically modifies a course, class, or qualification, not directly an exam.

Word family

  • require
    verbB1
  • required
    adjectiveB1
  • requisite
    nounC1
  • requisite
    adjectiveC1
  • requisition
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Requirement is the broadest and most common of these words, referring to anything that is needed or demanded by a particular situation, rule, or person. Prerequisite narrows the meaning to something that must be in place before something else can happen — it always carries a sense of sequence. Necessity is less formal and more personal; something can be a necessity for survival or comfort without being an official rule. Specification is more technical and detailed, often used in engineering, manufacturing, or computing to describe precise criteria. Condition focuses on a term that must be met for an agreement to hold, often as part of a contract or set of rules. For example: the job requirements included a degree and five years of experience. A bachelor's degree was a prerequisite for the master's program. Food and clean water are basic necessities. The software specifications were sent to the development team. One condition of the loan was that the borrower must keep full insurance.

requirement ↗prerequisite ↗necessity ↗specification ↗condition ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • job requirement
  • course requirement
  • legal requirement
  • safety requirement
  • minimum requirement
  • visa requirement
  • entry requirement

Phrases

  • meet the requirements
  • fulfill the requirements
  • satisfy the requirements
  • comply with the requirements

Prepositions

  • requirement for
  • requirement of

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Requirement comes from the Latin verb requirere, formed from re- (meaning 'again' or 'back') and quaerere (meaning 'to seek' or 'to ask'). The original sense was 'to search for' or 'to need.' The word passed through Old French as requerre before entering English as require in the 1300s. The noun requirement appeared in the early 1500s, carrying the meaning of 'something demanded or needed.'