modify
Americanverb (used with object)
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modifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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modified,
past participle, past
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modifying
present participle
-
to change somewhat the form or qualities of; alter partially; amend.
to modify a contract.
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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.
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to be the modifier or attribute of.
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to change (a vowel) by umlaut.
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to reduce or lessen in degree or extent; moderate; soften.
to modify one's demands.
verb (used without object)
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modifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
modified,
past participle, past
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modifying
present participle
verb
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to change the structure, character, intent, etc, of
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to make less extreme or uncompromising
to modify a demand
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grammar (of a word or group of words) to bear the relation of modifier to (another word or group of words)
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linguistics to change (a vowel) by umlaut
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(intr) to be or become modified
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
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modifiabilitynoun
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modifiablenessnoun
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overmodifyverb
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remodifyverb
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premodifyverb (used with object)
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modifiableadjective
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nonmodifyingadjective
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unmodifiableadjective
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unmodifiedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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modifysimple
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modifiessimple
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have modifiedperfect
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has modifiedperfect
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am modifyingprogressive
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are modifyingprogressive
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is modifyingprogressive
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have been modifyingperfect progressive
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has been modifyingperfect progressive
Past
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modifiedsimple
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had modifiedperfect
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was modifyingprogressive
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were modifyingprogressive
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had been modifyingperfect progressive
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.
Vocabulary lists containing modify
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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:
His letter states that the US Air Force would "use and modify infrastructure at the base" and operate "temporary support flights" from there.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
It is now proposing new powers that would allow it to force telecoms companies to hand over information or modify or disable services in connection with specific threats or incidents.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Democracies do this as a matter of course, and we can, too, even if we modify these lessons, and learn from their shortcomings, for our own particular contexts.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 2026
The conference is one of several events the kingdom has been forced to modify, cancel or postpone amid the wave of attacks on Saudi airports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
But with only one umpire, it would have taken all night for each of the boys to play, so the coaches decided to modify the scoring.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
The system even allows a rider to transmit their real-time heart rate so that the e-bike motor modifies the level of assistance as needed.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
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
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
County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic modifies the brothers’ original sentence to 50 years to life.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025
Considering the whole span of earthly time, the opposite effect, in which life actually modifies its surroundings, has been relatively slight.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
They modified his delivery, including having him start it from the third-base side of the pitching rubber.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
The genetically modified mice also demonstrated improved glucose tolerance, indicating that their bodies were better able to manage blood sugar after receiving glucose.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
In the U.S., there are some gene-edited crops on the market but many consumers remain wary, worried that genetically modified or edited foods might carry health risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
The researchers call this unusual arrangement a fractional Fermi sea because its particles appear to obey a modified rule governing how quantum states are occupied.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
October 12, 1964: Voskhod 1, a modified Vostok orbiter with a three-person crew, is launched.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley talked about modifying his workouts, taking inspiration from Kobe Bryant and his animal-themed meditation technique.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
The goal will be to determine whether modifying dopamine activity can improve memory, motivation, and fatigue.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
The bulk of the canal's construction work involved widening, deepening and modifying existing waterways, while a small section had to be excavated, Xinhua said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 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
Since you have two, we're comfortable with you modifying one.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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