justify
Americanverb (used with object)
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justifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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justified,
past participle, past
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justifying
present participle
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to show (an act, claim, statement, etc.) to be just or right.
The end does not always justify the means.
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to defend or uphold as warranted or well-grounded.
Don't try to justify his rudeness.
- Synonyms:
- excuse
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Printing.
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to make (a line of type) a desired length by spacing the words and letters, especially so that full lines in a column have even margins both on the left and on the right.
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to level and square (a strike).
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verb (used without object)
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justifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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justified,
past participle, past
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justifying
present participle
-
Law.
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to show a satisfactory reason or excuse for something done.
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to qualify as bail or surety.
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Printing. (of a line of type) to fit exactly into a desired length.
verb
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(often passive) to prove or see to be just or valid; vindicate
he was certainly justified in taking the money
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to show to be reasonable; warrant or substantiate
his behaviour justifies our suspicion
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to declare or show to be free from blame or guilt; absolve
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law
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to show good reason in court for (some action taken)
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to show adequate grounds for doing (that with which a person is charged)
to justify a libel
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(also intr) printing computing to adjust the spaces between words in (a line of type or data) so that it is of the required length or (of a line of type or data) to fit exactly
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Protestant theol to account or declare righteous by the imputation of Christ's merits to the sinner
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RC theol to change from sinfulness to righteousness by the transforming effects of grace
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(also intr) law to prove (a person) to have sufficient means to act as surety, etc, or (of a person) to qualify to provide bail or surety
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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justifiernoun
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prejustifyverb (used with object)
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rejustifyverb (used with object)
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justifyinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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justifysimple
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justifiessimple
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have justifiedperfect
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has justifiedperfect
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am justifyingprogressive
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are justifyingprogressive
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is justifyingprogressive
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have been justifyingperfect progressive
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has been justifyingperfect progressive
Past
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justifiedsimple
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had justifiedperfect
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was justifyingprogressive
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were justifyingprogressive
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had been justifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of justify
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English justifien, from Old French justifier, from Late Latin jūstificāre, equivalent to Latin jūsti- (combining form of jūstus just 1 ) + -ficāre -fy
Explanation
To justify is to make excuses for one's actions, like the dieter who has to justify the few tiny pieces of chocolate she's sneaked in between salads. Anyone who has ever made excuses for his or her actions knows the meaning of justify, like the bank robber who justifies his latest heist by claiming he needs the bank's money to support his charitable foundation. He might think he's got a good reason for holding up the bank, but he's going to have a hard time convincing the bank's owner of his reason, or justification. To justify a line of text is to space it so that it lines up with the margin.
Vocabulary lists containing justify
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 3
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You Be the Judge: Jud, Jur, Jus
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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:
Were they generating enough revenue to justify the expense or were they just fun gimmicks for customers to play around with?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
“It’s tough,” said Andrew Carman, a hydrogen dealmaker at the conference who said there just aren’t enough buyers to justify much new fuel production.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
I can think of dozens who’ve said, “I can’t justify spending $75 tonight.”
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
"A few weeks ago, traders were being asked to justify why the Fed should not hike again," said Stephen Innes, global strategist at Quintex Intel.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
No matter how he tried to justify it, he could not imagine himself doing that.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
That justifies a premium of a few percentage points.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
"Nothing justifies these substantial harms to competition," the lawsuit states.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
"This research justifies a strong precautionary approach against introductions of extraterrestrial origin."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
Karp justifies Palantir's role by arguing that the company helps Western governments reduce terrorism, counter adversaries and strengthen democratic institutions.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
“Is there anyplace in the Bible that justifies it—even by a stretch of the imagination, Father?”
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
The prosecutor then played an interview from the time of the book’s release, where Davis justified his actions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Mr. Chandler’s admiration for Grossman is great and justified, although at times it clouds his judgment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Dr Eleanor Drage, a senior researcher at the University of Cambridge, said concerns about AI disadvantaging women in recruitment are "very justified".
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
And I’ll make my financial case for how I justified writing a lump-sum check to a travel agency so large that I could picture my bank account clutching its proverbial pearls.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
There was the part she was supposed to be doing, the part that justified her time with the instrument, which was an investigation into the hourglass range of meanings.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
Understanding why he matters means understanding that the modern federal government is shaped not only by elected officials but also by attorneys who craft legal arguments justifying government action.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
In justifying that more upbeat outlook, Chipotle’s executives said they still liked their sales momentum overall.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
The majority didn’t issue an opinion justifying its ruling.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Bassist and singer Geddy Lee, his voice eerily well-preserved for a 72-year-old, rode the contours of these numbers with electrifying menace and character, justifying all the risks inherent in this reunion tour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
The nickname began generations ago, but each generation took on the mantle of justifying it.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
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.
