justify
verb
jus·ti·fy
ˈjə-stə-ˌfī 
justified; justifying
1
a
: to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable
trying to justify his selfish behavior
I shouldn't have to justify myself to them.
justify the ways of God to man—
John Milton
John Milton
b(1)
: to show to have had a sufficient legal reason
(2)
: to qualify (oneself) as a surety (see surety sense 3) by taking oath to the ownership of sufficient property
2
3
a
: to space (lines of text) so that the lines come out even at the margin
b
: to make even by spacing lines of text
justified margins
1
a
: to show a sufficient lawful reason for an act done
b
: to qualify as bail or surety
the surety justified on the bail bond
2
: to justify lines of text
Examples of justify in a Sentence
He tried to justify his behavior by saying that he was being pressured unfairly by his boss.
The fact that we are at war does not justify treating innocent people as criminals.
Recent Examples on the Web
Military necessity is what justifies measures that combatants take to defeat the enemy.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
The movie, like any trans person coming out of the closet, opens itself up to the complete madness of contemporary life and cannot justify any of it.
—Abraham Josephine Riesman, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
This simplifies things to the point of turning them upside-down: Even writing in 1953, Buckley took pains to separate McCarthy’s demagogic approach from the broader issue of communist infiltration, and the subsequent opening of Soviet archives justified this attitude.
—The Editors, National Review, 5 Apr. 2024
The sheriff’s office appeared to assist Cody in drafting the search warrant applications that were used to justify the raids.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
This list is preliminary, and the number of homicides can change as authorities investigate each case, determining whether the slaying was criminal, justified, accidental or suicide.
—Indianapolis Star, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2024
For students with disabilities, broad and subjective categories of misbehavior justify removing students from school hundreds of thousands of times a year, a sign their federal protection is failing.
—Sarah Butrymowicz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors accuse Daybell of making outlandish claims of people being possessed and becoming zombies to justify a string of heinous crimes.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 2 Apr. 2024
Instead, the agency pointed to the risks of a single crew member becoming incapacitated and the benefits of crew members being able to work together in emergency situations as justifying the rule.
—Tony Romm, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
The movie, like any trans person coming out of the closet, opens itself up to the complete madness of contemporary life and cannot justify any of it.
—Abraham Josephine Riesman, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
This simplifies things to the point of turning them upside-down: Even writing in 1953, Buckley took pains to separate McCarthy’s demagogic approach from the broader issue of communist infiltration, and the subsequent opening of Soviet archives justified this attitude.
—The Editors, National Review, 5 Apr. 2024
The sheriff’s office appeared to assist Cody in drafting the search warrant applications that were used to justify the raids.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
This list is preliminary, and the number of homicides can change as authorities investigate each case, determining whether the slaying was criminal, justified, accidental or suicide.
—Indianapolis Star, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2024
For students with disabilities, broad and subjective categories of misbehavior justify removing students from school hundreds of thousands of times a year, a sign their federal protection is failing.
—Sarah Butrymowicz, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
Prosecutors accuse Daybell of making outlandish claims of people being possessed and becoming zombies to justify a string of heinous crimes.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 2 Apr. 2024
Instead, the agency pointed to the risks of a single crew member becoming incapacitated and the benefits of crew members being able to work together in emergency situations as justifying the rule.
—Tony Romm, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'justify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near justify
Cite this Entry
“Justify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justify. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
justify
verb
jus·ti·fy
ˈjəs-tə-ˌfī
justified; justifying
1
: to prove or show to be just, right, legal, or reasonable
2
: to release from the guilt of sin
Legal Definition
justify
verb
jus·ti·fy
ˈjəs-tə-ˌfī
justified; justifying
1
: to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable
does not justify a denial of bail
2
: to show to have had a legally sufficient reason or cause
a defendant may not set up his own standard of conduct to justify or excuse himself—State v. Doss, 568 P.2d 1054 (1977)
State v. Doss, 568 P.2d 1054 (1977)1
: to show a legally sufficient reason for an act
2
: to swear an oath as to the ownership of sufficient property
they shall justify in an amount no less than $200—Oregon Revised Statutes
Oregon Revised Statutes
also
: to qualify as a surety by swearing such an oath
the defendants sought to justify as bail —State v. Blaisdell, 253 A.2d 341 (1969)
State v. Blaisdell, 253 A.2d 341 (1969) Love words? Need even more definitions?
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