Link Centre Dictionary

specify

spe·cify

UK/ˈspɛs.ɪ.faɪ/ US/ˈspɛs.əˌfaɪ/ uncommon obsolete

verb

1.

specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement

  • “The will stipulates that she can live in the house for the rest of her life”
  • “The contract stipulates the dates of the payments”
Synonyms
2.
3.

decide upon or fix definitely

  • “fix the variables”
  • “specify the parameters”
Synonyms
4.

be specific about

  • “Could you please specify your criticism of my paper?”
Synonyms
Antonyms
5.

define clearly

  • “I cannot narrow down the rules for this game”
Synonyms
6.

design or destine

  • “She was intended to become the director”
Synonyms
7.

select something or someone for a specific purpose

  • “The teacher assigned him to lead his classmates in the exercise”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English specifien, from Old French specifier, especefier, or directly from Medieval Latin specificō, from specificus (“specific”).

Phrases

  • come to

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Word family

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Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.