specify
Americanverb (used with object)
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specifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
specified,
past participle, past
-
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)
-
specifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
specified,
past participle, past
-
specifying
present participle
verb
-
to refer to or state specifically
-
to state as a condition
-
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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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:
That was most of its pretax profit, but it didn’t specify how much was tied to Anthropic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
The corporation did not specify what the shortcomings were.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Customers could specify how ripe they wanted their avocados, leave detailed instructions and select acceptable substitutions in advance.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
The Datafolha poll was conducted between Thursday and Friday and does not specify whether interviews were carried out after the program.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
“Sometimes I had no choice but to make the Poles unload one of the carts and then to specify which things could be loaded up and which things must be left behind,” said Melita.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
During setup, Apple specifies that you need to be at least 22 years old, not pregnant and have no past hypertension diagnosis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
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
"These are thick blocks of ice that can drift for years," specifies Dr. Abigail Dalton of the Canadian Ice Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026
She specifies the evening, a Friday, tells him the address, somewhere in Chelsea.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
The date of the attack was not specified, according to the release.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Analysts saw revenue in the quarter climbing to about $51.18 billion, using the company’s specified exchange rate.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Treatment ended once the fat thickness fell below a specified threshold.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
Polanski has not specified whether he supports the motion passed by members, but added his name to a joint statement from the party's five MPs and deputy leaders issued after the vote.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
He suggested that maybe the electrons were not able to orbit at just any distance from the central nucleus but only at certain specified distances.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
For instance, if it helps a customer reduce its compute bill from $10 million to $6 million, it keeps some percentage of the $4 million in savings, Shashua said without specifying how much.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
"No personal data related to our rentals is shared with car manufacturers, our owners or other third parties without explicit legal grounds," he added, without specifying whether the onboard videos may have been transferred.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Instead, do it in one-off letters specifying the amount—and keep careful records.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
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
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
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