justify
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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:
As governments and companies pour hundreds of billions of dollars into developing AI, sceptics are asking whether the technology will be profitable enough to justify such huge investments.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
But false reports about exhausted runners after the first women’s 800-meter race helped justify the exclusion of this women’s race until 1960.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
“That’s a dressing they’ve put around the cuts they want to make to justify them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Iranians cite this aspect of the MOU to justify their attacks on certain commercial vessels.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
If we succeed in explaining how some people came to dominate other people, may this not seem to justify the domination?
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
The current market environment justifies the risk — and will reward it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Looking to add to their 2010 triumph, Spain would hope Yamal, who will turn 19 on the eve of the tie, picks the semi-final to deliver a performance that justifies his talent.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
"This research justifies a strong precautionary approach against introductions of extraterrestrial origin."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
The final act, during which the friends gather to mourn the death of one of their group, concludes on a deeply affecting note that justifies the expansive length.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Painting a picture that justifies her opinion of him—an underdog cursed with an ungrateful son upon whom he has showered love and concern, only to be infamously treated by that son in return.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
As investigations continue, the question facing officials is straightforward: Will the public receive enough information to determine what happened — and whether the use of force was justified?
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the long-classified files have historically fuelled "justified speculation," saying that the American people have a right to see the information for themselves.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The White House defended the move as justified by a recent U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
“You need to wait and see the reports to know if it’s justified or not,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Hence “black is beautiful” and “gay pride”—slogans and anthems of political movements aimed at ending not only legal discrimination, but the stigma that justified it.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
The majority didn’t issue an opinion justifying its ruling.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Those include the potential for renewed fighting in the Middle East and worries that the AI build-out won’t yield profits justifying companies’ massive expenditures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
In justifying the repeal of its former rule, the SEC argued that repeal made negotiating settlements easier and cheaper — thus, sparing the SEC’s scarce resources.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 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.