cri ‧ te ‧ ri ‧ on W2 AC /kraɪˈtɪəriən $ -ˈtɪr-/ BrE AmE noun ( plural criteria /-riə/) [countable usually plural]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Greek ; Origin: kriterion , from krinein 'to judge, decide' ]
a standard that you use to judge something or make a decision about something:
the criteria we use to select candidates
criterion for
the criteria for measuring how good schools are
Academic ability is not the sole criterion for admission to the college.
a universal set of criteria for diagnosing patients
meet/satisfy/fulfil criteria
To qualify for a grant, students must satisfy certain criteria.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ meet/satisfy/fulfil the criteria
Does your experience meet the criteria for the job?
▪ use criteria
What criteria do we use to decide whether one book is better than another?
▪ apply criteria (=use them)
There are certain criteria you should apply when buying a computer.
▪ be based on criteria
Normal child development is based upon certain criteria.
▪ establish the criteria for something
Management establishes the criteria for each project.
■ adjectives
▪ the main criterion
You need to decide on your main criteria before you buy a house.
▪ the sole criterion (=the only one)
Examination results are still seen as the sole criterion of success in education.
▪ a strict criterion (=very exact)
All the cars must meet strict criteria, and are tested by our mechanics.
▪ academic/political/environmental etc criteria
The winning product must satisfy a range of environmental criteria.
▪ an objective criterion (=that is based on fact and not opinion)
The label of 'carer' was defined by the objective criterion of someone who spends more than seven hours looking after someone.
■ phrases
▪ a set of criteria
Doctors use an established set of criteria for making a diagnosis.
▪ a list of criteria
There’s a list of criteria that you must meet in order to pass your driving test.