specify
Americanverb (used with object)
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specifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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specified,
past participle, past
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specifying
present participle
-
to mention or name specifically or definitely; state in detail.
He did not specify the amount needed.
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to give a specific character to.
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to set forth as a specification.
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to name or state as a condition.
He specified that he be given my power of attorney.
verb (used without object)
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specifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
specified,
past participle, past
-
specifying
present participle
verb
-
to refer to or state specifically
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to state as a condition
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to state or include in the specification of
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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specifiernoun
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respecifyverb
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prespecifyverb (used with object)
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underspecifyverb (used with object)
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misspecifiedadjective
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nonspecifiedadjective
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specificativeadjective
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underspecifiedadjective
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unspecifiedadjective
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unspecifyingadjective
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specificativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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specifysimple
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specifiessimple
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have specifiedperfect
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has specifiedperfect
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am specifyingprogressive
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are specifyingprogressive
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is specifyingprogressive
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have been specifyingperfect progressive
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has been specifyingperfect progressive
Past
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specifiedsimple
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had specifiedperfect
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was specifyingprogressive
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were specifyingprogressive
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had been specifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of specify
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English specyfyen, from Old French specifier, from Medieval Latin specificāre “to describe, mention particularly,” from specific(us) specific + āre, infinitive verb suffix
Explanation
To explicitly name something or state a particular detail, you specify that thing. So, when you have a craving for dessert and you send someone to the store to buy ice cream, you may want to specify a flavor. If you assign something for a particular purpose, this verb means that you specify. Your parents can specify for safety's sake that you can only ride your bicycle on the sidewalk and not on the street. Another use of the verb specify is to give a set of requirements. If you have your grandmother's old recipe for snickerdoodle cookies, you may wonder what the recipe means when it specifies that you should add "a smidgen of molasses."
Vocabulary lists containing specify
Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items
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STAAR English II: The Language of the Test 2
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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:
He did not specify who would be on that board.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
It did not specify where the messages had been written nor publish screenshots.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The trust would have a procedure instead for going to the next person in line in the trust document, or it could specify that the role needs to be filled by a professional trustee.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Alibaba didn’t specify expenditure details about its new AI plans, though last month it raised about $10.2 billion through a Hong Kong share offering that it aims to use exclusively for AI investments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
It did not say how the laws should be chosen and it did not specify the initial configuration of the universe.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
But not every state that requires it specifies a curriculum.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
It also specifies that agencies are not required to treat engagement from AI or bots as if they were real humans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
The most straightforward way of keeping your moods from affecting your portfolio is to have a detailed financial plan that, well in advance, specifies how you will react, come what may.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
It specifies a location for the memorial just south of the White House.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Yet scientists today could undoubtedly, if they wished, fulfill for many species that part of the definition of domestication that specifies the control of breeding and food supply.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
The White House hasn’t specified what exactly Clayton will do in the new role beyond coordinating AI policy across agencies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
He specified in his statement the venues took issue with “how Macklemore conveyed part of his message,” but not “everything that was said.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
States require utilities and retail suppliers to obtain a specified share of electricity from qualifying renewable sources.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
While Congress can condition a state’s receipt of federal funds on compliance with specified conditions, there are limitations to this power.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
They specified, “This demonstration might be over enemy territory, or in our own country, with subsequent notice to Japan that the materials would be used against the Japanese mainland unless surrender was forthcoming.”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
One of the bills, introduced by Stefani, expands the ability of certified nurse-midwives to provide care for pregnant and postpartum patients by specifying that supervision by a physician is not required when providing certain services.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
The purported hacker has released snippets of the stolen client data—including Römer’s—and threatened to release more unless Revolut pays up, without publicly specifying an amount.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Meanwhile the government in Kinshasa released a statement on X, without specifying numbers of casualties.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
In 2024, Buckingham Palace made Charles’ cancer diagnosis public without specifying the severity of his illness.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
It is often helpful to think of the four coordinates of an event as specifying its position in a four-dimensional space called space-time.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
