Definition of justify | Collins English Dictionary

justify (ˈdʒʌstɪˌfaɪ)

(mainly tr)

(often passive) to prove or see to be just or valid; vindicate ⇒ he was certainly justified in taking the money
to show to be reasonable; warrant or substantiate ⇒ his behaviour justifies our suspicion
to declare or show to be free from blame or guilt; absolve
law
1. to show good reason in court for (some action taken)
2. to show adequate grounds for doing (that with which a person is charged) ⇒ to justify a libel
(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
1. Protestant theology to account or declare righteous by the imputation of Christ's merits to the sinner
2. Roman Catholic theology to change from sinfulness to righteousness by the transforming effects of grace
(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

ˈjustiˌfier noun

C14: from Old French justifier, from Latin justificāre, from jūstus just + facere to make

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British English: justify If someone or something justifies a particular decision, action, or idea, they show or prove that it is reasonable or necessary.Is there anything that can justify a war?ˈdʒʌstɪˌfaɪ VERB Is there anything that can justify a war?
Spanish: justificar v
French: justifier vt
German: rechtfertigen v
Chinese: 论证 v
Arabic: يُبَرِّرُ vt
Portuguese: justificar v
Russian: оправдывать v
Croatian: opravdati v
Czech: ospravedlnit v ospravedlňovat
Danish: retfærdiggøre v
Dutch: rechtvaardigen v
Finnish: oikeuttaa v
Greek: δικαιολογώ v
Italian: giustificare v
Japanese: 正当化する v
Korean: 정당화하다 v
Norwegian: rettferdiggjøre v
Polish: usprawiedliwić v usprawiedliwiać
Brazilian Portuguese: justificar v
European Spanish: justificar v
Swedish: motivera v
Thai: พิสูจน์ว่าถูกต้อง v
Turkish: haklılığını göstermek v
Vietnamese: giải thích v

He would need to concoct some plausible reason to justify turning up out of the blue.
Forbes, Bryan, A Song at Twilight (1989)
And the prize, at least in part, seems have the aim of creating the buzz to help justify all this investment.
Spiked (2003)
The volume being carried over the Ambassador Bridge is high enough to justify developing another crossing in the near future, he says.
Globe and Mail (2003)
I grow increasingly weary with the special pleading used by financial journalists like Donkin to try to justify the unjustifiable.
Glasgow Herald (2001)
Even if productivity growth had accelerated, a jump of this size was difficult to justify on economic grounds.
John Cassidy, DOT.CON (2001)