Synonyms

specify

American

[spes-uh-fahy] / ˈspɛs əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object)

to mention or name specifically or definitely; state in detail.

He did not specify the amount needed.

Synonyms:

stipulate, enumerate, indicate, detail
to give a specific character to.
to set forth as a specification.
to name or state as a condition.

He specified that he be given my power of attorney.

verb (used without object)

to make a specific mention or statement.

specify British

/ ˈspɛsɪfɪˌkeɪtɪv, ˈspɛsɪˌfaɪ /

verb

to refer to or state specifically
to state as a condition
to state or include in the specification of

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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."

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Vocabulary lists containing specify

Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items

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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:

specify specifies specified specifying

He did not specify what punishment countries would face, and none other than Iran were mentioned by name.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

But it doesn’t specify whether the government will pay companies for their work or reimburse them for operational costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The court may specify how that disposal will happen, or it may delegate that decision to a person appointed to carry out the order.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Radev did not specify where the drone, which caused no casualties, came from and said authorities did not yet know what type it was.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

My argument was that it was as undemocratic to specify that the leaders had to be from the working class as to declare that they should be bourgeois intellectuals.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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 no tax periods or matters, purporting instead to resolve “any and all claims,” forever, before agencies it does not even name.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

The text specifies that a procedure different to immediate returns at the border applies to those "intercepted on the high seas" because those migrants do not breach physical infrastructure.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 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

Hyde Lane is requesting Netflix and Netflix Studios be held liable for infringement, although no specified amount was listed in the suit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Keeping such a sparse, specified operation going means narrowing budgets wherever possible, especially when it comes to managing Canopy’s investments and data.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

Ebm-Papst’s products are specified early in the HVAC/R design process, helping customers improve energy efficiency, enhance reliability and reduce total lifecycle costs across mission-critical applications, the company added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Call options give the buyer the right to purchase an underlying share at a particular price within a specified time.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Compton specified that the work would have to be done at breakneck speed and that the process would have to be scalable to an industrial level.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

It established the General Accounting Office, specifying that it “shall be independent of the executive departments.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

In a press release, France’s Eurazeo said it would retain a significant minority stake in Aroma-Zone, without specifying the size of the stake.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The ambiguity in the lyrics allied to the familiar, easy melody, Harrison believes, allows fans to "express an outpouring of love without necessarily specifying what it's towards".

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

But rather than regulating dinner guests, Congress was specifying when mandatory duties attach to government officials stationed at ports of entry.

From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026

And once you start specifying long and short notes in a chain, you generate a rhythmic pattern.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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