Synonyms

modify

American

[mod-uh-fahy] / ˈmɒd əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to change somewhat the form or qualities of; alter partially; amend.

to modify a contract.

Synonyms:

reform, shape, adjust, vary
Grammar. (of a word, phrase, or clause) to stand in a syntactically subordinate relation to (another word, phrase, or clause), usually with descriptive, limiting, or particularizing meaning; be a modifier. In a good man, good modifies man.
to be the modifier or attribute of.
to change (a vowel) by umlaut.
to reduce or lessen in degree or extent; moderate; soften.

to modify one's demands.

verb (used without object)

to be or become modified.

modify British

/ ˈmɒdɪˌfaɪ /

verb

to change the structure, character, intent, etc, of
to make less extreme or uncompromising

to modify a demand
grammar (of a word or group of words) to bear the relation of modifier to (another word or group of words)
linguistics to change (a vowel) by umlaut
(intr) to be or become modified

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

Modify, qualify, temper suggest altering an original statement, condition, or the like, so as to avoid anything excessive or extreme. To modify is to alter in one or more particulars, generally in the direction of leniency or moderation: to modify demands, rates. To qualify is to restrict or limit by exceptions or conditions: to qualify one's praise, hopes. To temper is to alter the quality of something, generally so as to diminish its force or harshness: to temper one's criticism with humor.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of modify

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English modifien, from Middle French modifier, from Latin modificāre “to impose a rule or pattern, regulate, restrain”; equivalent to mode ¹ + -ify

Explanation

To modify is to change or transform, but only slightly. If you miss your free-throws half the time, your coach will probably try to improve your shooting average by modifying your technique. Modify may mean to alter something, but it's not a total makeover. When you modify or make modifications, you're making subtle changes. These tweaks are usually needed to make improvements or make the thing being modified less extreme. So you can modify your voice if your tone is too harsh, or modify your wardrobe with a few new pairs of cool shoes.

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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.

See Examples For:

modify modifies modified modifying

Scientists then genetically modify those T cells in the laboratory.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

Open-weight AI models are free for anyone to download, modify and run.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Investigators also seized about 20,000 rounds of ammunition, including armor-piercing rounds, multiple firearm suppressors and about 15 firearm milling fixtures used to illegally manufacture and modify AR-15-style lower receivers, according to the statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

"In a private company, you can take risks more quickly," said Trotsenko, explaining how small companies were incentivised to modify and adapt at speed to win contracts.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

She did not change her schedule or modify her ritual.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

On Kalshi, Boss places 60 trades a minute and modifies his bids and asks 30 times a second.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

It modifies a law dating to 2006 that forced foreign investors to form joint ventures with state oil company PDVSA, which insisted on a majority stake.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

CAR T-cell therapy takes the patient's own T-cells, modifies them and then reintroduces them back into the blood stream to help fight the cancer.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2025

NIH funding supported, among others, the development of CAR T cell therapy, which genetically modifies a patients’ own T-cells to fight cancer.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2025

Many of our “symptoms” of disease actually represent ways in which some damned clever microbe modifies our bodies or our behavior such that we become enlisted to spread microbes.

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

Warner Bros.’ probable apprehension over how the film depicts corporations like its own is only one layer of this big, genetically modified cartoon onion.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

Instead, early forms retained and modified features inherited from aquatic ancestors, spending an extended period in a semi-aquatic, amphibious way of life.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

The company touts open models, which can be downloaded and modified, as opposed to closed models like those of rivals OpenAI or Anthropic.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Open-source AI refers to models that can be freely used and modified.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

In time, as with Newtonian mechanics, the “central dogma” of genetics would be vastly refined, modified, and reformulated.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

“We’re aware that some people are modifying their search queries, and we’re monitoring this behavior as we continue to evaluate ways to improve the search and ads experience,” a Pinterest spokesperson said in an email.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

But either upgrading infrastructure to climate resiliant schools or modifying the academic year would need institutional change with the possibility of a lot of investment.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

A few times lately, I’ve caught myself modifying my own work to sound “less like A.I.”

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

The British pub had prepared for months, buying televisions, modifying seating, hiring staff and creating a World Cup cocktail menu.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Here we have an adverb, unproblematically, modifying the verb continue, an ellipsis for continue to be.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023