Showing results for specify. Search instead for to specify.

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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing specify

Tier 2 Words for the SBAC ELA Items

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

STAAR English I: The Language of the Test 2

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

STAAR English II: The Language of the Test 2

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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

Rubio's announcement did not specify whether Hashemi or Tahmasebi had committed wrongdoing or posed a national security threat themselves.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

The report doesn’t specify who authorized the deployment of the gas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Nubia Carolina Córdoba, governor Chocó province, said people had been injured but did not specify how many.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

To that end, Meta is doling out more money to local communities near its data centers, though Zuckerberg’s essay didn’t specify what that would entail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

That genes could be regulated—i.e., turned “on” and “off” by particular cues—deepened the understanding of how genes function in time and space to specify the unique features of distinct cells.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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

In the book Mr. King specifies that the instrument of destruction is a short roque mallet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

The information from the spacecraft specifies how bright or dark each dot is to be.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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

"There is no serious structural damage, no serious material damage and there are no casualties," said Sanz, who specified that "the Alhambra had not been affected in any way".

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

If the closing is delayed, shareholders will receive a ticking fee accruing at a rate of 6% per year for a period specified in the agreement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 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

The method used to assign numbers to letters was not specified, however, and so it’s not entirely clear to whom the number refers.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

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 company had previously guided for significant revenue growth, but without specifying a figure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Separately, a landslide in China's northwestern Gansu province killed five people on Tuesday, with rescuers working to locate 12 others still missing, Xinhua said, without specifying what caused it.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 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

If genes were discrete particles specifying one trait, then how could this property be reconciled with the occurrence of human characteristics, say, height or skin color, in continuous curves?

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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