modification

American  

[mod-uh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌmɒd ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• modifications
  plural

1. an act or instance of modifying.

2. the state of being modified; partial alteration.

3. a modified form; variety.

4. Biology. a change in a living organism acquired from its own activity or environment and not transmitted to its descendants.

5. limitation or qualification.

6. Grammar.

   1. the use of a modifier in a construction, or of modifiers in a class of constructions or in a language.

   2. the meaning of a modifier, especially as it affects the meaning of the word or other form modified.

      Limitation is one kind of modification.

   3. a change in the phonological shape of a morpheme, word, or other form when it functions as an element in a construction, as the change of not to -n't in doesn't.

   4. an adjustment in the form of a word as it passes from one language to another.

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modification British  

/ ˌmɒdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of modifying or the condition of being modified

2. something modified; the result of a modification

3. a small change or adjustment

4. grammar the relation between a modifier and the word or phrase that it modifies

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modification Scientific  

/ mŏd′ə-fĭ-kā′shən /

1. A change in an organism that results from external influences and cannot be inherited.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intermodification
  noun
• overmodification
  noun
• premodification
  noun
• remodification
  noun
• modificatory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• modifications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of modification

1495–1505; < Latin modificātiōn- (stem of modificātiō ), equivalent to modificāt ( us ) (past participle of modificāre; see modify) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A modification is a change or alteration, usually to make something work better. If you want to change something — in other words, modify it — you need to make a modification. Lots of things require modification, because they get older or just because they can be improved. A car needs modification — in the form of snow tires — to be ready for the winter. Computer programs need modification all the time, because of new products or viruses. When you think of the word modification, think "change."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

modification modifications

"So fewer warnings, more actions penalised, and if there's any reduction in offences being penalised it should be a result of a modification of player behaviour rather than us no longer applying it."

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

In implementing the law, the government further defined "harm" to include "significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding or sheltering."

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

Horvath said the county hopes to receive tens of millions of dollars in state funding for additional brush clearance, fuel modification, home hardening and other initiatives.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

The companies also benefit from contracts that bring new revenue with each modification.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

As a modification of this view, one could argue that the centre of the universe corresponds to the centre of gravity of the aggregate of the two spheres of earth and water.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Barad said that polygenic scores could eventually help clinicians identify people who are more likely to experience unfavorable cholesterol changes after certain dietary modifications.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

Gribble's team is now testing whether histone modifications are responsible for the maternal age effects observed in the rotifers.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

The device features a privacy recording light to notify wearers when it’s recording, but modifications available all over the internet allow users to sidestep it.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

The group also asked the Justice Department whether modifications to the settlement had the support of Trump, his two sons and their businesses, who brought the lawsuit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

"With only three and a half years before Ares 4's scheduled launch, is there enough time to make and test modifications to the MDV?"

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

• adjustment
• alteration
• conversion