modification

American  

[mod-uh-fi-kay-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

This approach to weather modification, now more than 80-years-old, involves using planes and drones to disperse compounds such as silver iodide into clouds to form ice crystals.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Owners of troubled real estate who have a plan to raise operating income might get a loan modification, says Rich Hill, a senior managing director at Principal Asset Management.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

The MPs also suggested that online marketplaces be held accountable for unsafe products such as the modification kits that are sold on their platforms.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Overall, 57% of the species studied were affected by both human presence and landscape modification.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

We have already seen that plant domestication involves the modification of wild plants so that they become more useful to humans by virtue of larger seeds, a less bitter taste, or other qualities.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Let’s see how it works, and let’s do it on a basis that we can make alterations, we can make modifications.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

“Self-expression is such an important part of living your truth as a trans person,” she says, so “it’s only right to see body modifications being available safely in a place like this.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

A third group make technical modifications to "legitimize" the phone, allowing it to re-enter the market.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Instead, clinicians focus on managing the underlying conditions and advise lifestyle modifications, such as weight loss and controlling blood sugar.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

One of my earlier modifications was "saddlebags" draped over the rover.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

• adjustment
• alteration
• conversion