justify
Americanverb (used with object)
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to show (an act, claim, statement, etc.) to be just or right.
The end does not always justify the means.
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to defend or uphold as warranted or well-grounded.
Don't try to justify his rudeness.
- Synonyms:
- excuse
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Printing.
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to make (a line of type) a desired length by spacing the words and letters, especially so that full lines in a column have even margins both on the left and on the right.
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to level and square (a strike).
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verb (used without object)
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Law.
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to show a satisfactory reason or excuse for something done.
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to qualify as bail or surety.
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Printing. (of a line of type) to fit exactly into a desired length.
verb
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(often passive) to prove or see to be just or valid; vindicate
he was certainly justified in taking the money
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to show to be reasonable; warrant or substantiate
his behaviour justifies our suspicion
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to declare or show to be free from blame or guilt; absolve
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law
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to show good reason in court for (some action taken)
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to show adequate grounds for doing (that with which a person is charged)
to justify a libel
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(also intr) printing computing to adjust the spaces between words in (a line of type or data) so that it is of the required length or (of a line of type or data) to fit exactly
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Protestant theol to account or declare righteous by the imputation of Christ's merits to the sinner
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RC theol to change from sinfulness to righteousness by the transforming effects of grace
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(also intr) law to prove (a person) to have sufficient means to act as surety, etc, or (of a person) to qualify to provide bail or surety
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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justifysimple
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justifiessimple
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have justifiedperfect
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has justifiedperfect
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am justifyingprogressive
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are justifyingprogressive
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is justifyingprogressive
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have been justifyingperfect progressive
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has been justifyingperfect progressive
Past
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justifiedsimple
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had justifiedperfect
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was justifyingprogressive
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were justifyingprogressive
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had been justifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of justify
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English justifien, from Old French justifier, from Late Latin jūstificāre, equivalent to Latin jūsti- (combining form of jūstus just 1 ) + -ficāre -fy
Explanation
To justify is to make excuses for one's actions, like the dieter who has to justify the few tiny pieces of chocolate she's sneaked in between salads. Anyone who has ever made excuses for his or her actions knows the meaning of justify, like the bank robber who justifies his latest heist by claiming he needs the bank's money to support his charitable foundation. He might think he's got a good reason for holding up the bank, but he's going to have a hard time convincing the bank's owner of his reason, or justification. To justify a line of text is to space it so that it lines up with the margin.
Vocabulary lists containing justify
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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You Be the Judge: Jud, Jur, Jus
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Justify did not run his first race until Feb. 18 as a 3-year-old.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025
The last one to win more than one was Justify in 2018 when he won the Triple Crown.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2025
The son of Triple Crown winner Justify has won six of seven races, running mostly in Britain.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2024
He would be the first to win both the Derby and the Preakness since Justify in 2018.
From Seattle Times • May 18, 2024
The cardinal paused a moment, and then cried, "Justify myself?—impossible!"
From The Queen's Necklace by Dumas père, Alexandre
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
