English Reference
noun

procurement

n.
US /pɹoʊkˈjʊɹmənt/ UK /pɹəkjˈɔːmənt/ pro·cure·ment UK spelling procurement's, procurement's

  1. 01 C1 Advanced FormalTechnical

    the specific department in a company that is in charge of buying things.

    the organisational unit or department responsible for managing the acquisition of supplies and services.

    Simple

    You need to send the invoice to procurement so they can approve the payment.

    In context

    The procurement department is currently reviewing several bids from international suppliers to find the most cost-effective solution for the new project.

    purchasing department
  2. 02 C2 Proficiency FormalLiterary

    the act of getting something that is difficult to find or reach.

    the act of obtaining or gaining possession of something through effort or special means.

    Simple

    The procurement of rare documents for the museum took several years of negotiation.

    In context

    The successful procurement of these classified files was considered a major victory for the investigative team.

The chair Baroness Heather Hallett criticised the "vast" waste in pandemic procurement, amounting to two-thirds of the £14.9bn total the UK and devolved governments spent on PPE.

BBC News· 14 Jul 2026

The chair Baroness Hallett criticised the "vast" waste in procurement, put at £9.9bn – two-thirds of the £14.9bn the government spent on PPE.

BBC News· 14 Jul 2026

Inherited from Middle English procurement, from Old French procurement, from procurer.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English procurement
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated