(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
Something that is ~ is extremely important or absolutely necessary to a particular subject, situation, or activity.
It was absolutely ~ to separate crops from the areas that animals used as pasture...
As they must also sprint over short distances, speed is ~...
Jordan promised to trim the city budget without cutting ~ services.
= crucial
ADJ: oft it v-link ADJ to-inf
2.
The ~s are the things that are absolutely necessary for the situation you are in or for the task you are doing.
The flat contained the basic ~s for bachelor life.
N-COUNT: usu pl
3.
The ~ aspects of something are its most basic or important aspects.
Most authorities agree that play is an ~ part of a child’s development...
In this trial two ~ elements must be proven: motive and opportunity.
= fundamental
ADJ
4.
The ~s are the most important principles, ideas, or facts of a particular subject.
...the ~s of everyday life, such as eating and exercise...
N-PLURAL