modify


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mod·i·fy

 (mŏd′ə-fī′)
v. mod·i·fied, mod·i·fy·ing, mod·i·fies
v.tr.
1. To change in form or character; alter.
2. To make less extreme, severe, or strong: refused to modify her stand on the issue.
3. Grammar To qualify or limit the meaning of. For example, summer modifies day in the phrase a summer day.
4. Linguistics To change (a vowel) by umlaut.
v.intr.
To be or become modified; change.

[Middle English modifien, from Old French modifier, from Latin modificāre, to measure, limit : modus, measure; see med- in Indo-European roots + -ficāre, -fy.]

mod′i·fi′a·bil′i·ty n.
mod′i·fi′a·ble adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

modify

(ˈmɒdɪˌfaɪ)
vb (mainly tr) , -fies, -fying or -fied
1. to change the structure, character, intent, etc, of
2. to make less extreme or uncompromising: to modify a demand.
3. (Grammar) grammar (of a word or group of words) to bear the relation of modifier to (another word or group of words)
4. (Linguistics) linguistics to change (a vowel) by umlaut
5. (intr) to be or become modified
[C14: from Old French modifier, from Latin modificāre to limit, control, from modus measure + facere to make]
ˈmodiˌfiable adj
ˌmodiˌfiaˈbility, ˈmodiˌfiableness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mod•i•fy

(ˈmɒd əˌfaɪ)

v. -fied, -fy•ing. v.t.
1. to change somewhat the form or qualities of; alter partially; amend: to modify a contract.
2. (of a word, phrase, or clause) to stand in a syntactically subordinate relation to (another word, phrase, or clause), usu. with descriptive, limiting, or particularizing meaning; act as a modifier: In a good cook, good modifies cook.
3. to change (a vowel) by umlaut.
4. to reduce in degree or extent: to modify one's demands.
v.i.
5. to be or become modified.
[1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French modifier < Latin modificāre to regulate, restrain. See mode1, -i-, -fy]
mod′i•fi`a•ble, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

modify

In artillery, an order by the person authorized to make modifications to a fire plan.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

modify


Past participle: modified
Gerund: modifying

Imperative
modify
modify
Present
I modify
you modify
he/she/it modifies
we modify
you modify
they modify
Preterite
I modified
you modified
he/she/it modified
we modified
you modified
they modified
Present Continuous
I am modifying
you are modifying
he/she/it is modifying
we are modifying
you are modifying
they are modifying
Present Perfect
I have modified
you have modified
he/she/it has modified
we have modified
you have modified
they have modified
Past Continuous
I was modifying
you were modifying
he/she/it was modifying
we were modifying
you were modifying
they were modifying
Past Perfect
I had modified
you had modified
he/she/it had modified
we had modified
you had modified
they had modified
Future
I will modify
you will modify
he/she/it will modify
we will modify
you will modify
they will modify
Future Perfect
I will have modified
you will have modified
he/she/it will have modified
we will have modified
you will have modified
they will have modified
Future Continuous
I will be modifying
you will be modifying
he/she/it will be modifying
we will be modifying
you will be modifying
they will be modifying
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been modifying
you have been modifying
he/she/it has been modifying
we have been modifying
you have been modifying
they have been modifying
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been modifying
you will have been modifying
he/she/it will have been modifying
we will have been modifying
you will have been modifying
they will have been modifying
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been modifying
you had been modifying
he/she/it had been modifying
we had been modifying
you had been modifying
they had been modifying
Conditional
I would modify
you would modify
he/she/it would modify
we would modify
you would modify
they would modify
Past Conditional
I would have modified
you would have modified
he/she/it would have modified
we would have modified
you would have modified
they would have modified
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.modify - make less severe or harsh or extrememodify - make less severe or harsh or extreme; "please modify this letter to make it more polite"; "he modified his views on same-gender marriage"
change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night"
optimise, optimize - modify to achieve maximum efficiency in storage capacity or time or cost; "optimize a computer program"
attemper - modify the temperature of; "attemper the air"
syncopate - modify the rhythm by stressing or accenting a weak beat
update - modernize or bring up to date; "We updated the kitchen in the old house"
update - bring to the latest state of technology
hop up, soup up, hot up - make more powerful; "he souped up the old cars"
cream - add cream to one's coffee, for example
qualify, restrict - make more specific; "qualify these remarks"
spoil, corrupt - alter from the original
temper, harden - harden by reheating and cooling in oil; "temper steel"
specialise, specialize - suit to a special purpose; "specialize one's research"; "this kind of beak has become specialized in certain Galapagos finches"
buffer - add a buffer (a solution); "buffered saline solution for the eyes"
inflect - change the form of a word in accordance as required by the grammatical rules of the language
cushion, buffer, soften - protect from impact; "cushion the blow"
2.modify - add a modifier to a constituent
grammar - the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics)
add - make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of; "We added two students to that dorm room"; "She added a personal note to her letter"; "Add insult to injury"; "Add some extra plates to the dinner table"
3.modify - cause to changemodify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
awaken, wake up, waken, rouse, wake, arouse - cause to become awake or conscious; "He was roused by the drunken men in the street"; "Please wake me at 6 AM."
cause to sleep - make fall asleep; "The soft music caused us to fall asleep"
affect - act physically on; have an effect upon; "the medicine affects my heart rate"
refreshen, freshen, refresh - make fresh again
fecundate, inseminate, fertilise, fertilize - introduce semen into (a female)
indispose - cause to feel unwell; "She was indisposed"
cry - bring into a particular state by crying; "The little boy cried himself to sleep"
etiolate - make pale or sickly; "alcohol etiolates your skin"
shade - vary slightly; "shade the meaning"
animalise, animalize, brutalise, brutalize - make brutal, unfeeling, or inhuman; "Life in the camps had brutalized him"
convert - change the nature, purpose, or function of something; "convert lead into gold"; "convert hotels into jails"; "convert slaves to laborers"
opalise, opalize - make opalescent
arterialise, arterialize - change venous blood into arterial blood
make, get - give certain properties to something; "get someone mad"; "She made us look silly"; "He made a fool of himself at the meeting"; "Don't make this into a big deal"; "This invention will make you a millionaire"; "Make yourself clear"
counterchange, interchange, transpose - cause to change places; "interchange this screw for one of a smaller size"
vascularise, vascularize - make vascular; "the yolk sac is gradually vascularized"
decrepitate - to roast or calcine so as to cause to crackle or until crackling stops; "decrepitate salts"
suburbanise, suburbanize - make suburban in character; "highly suburbanized cities"
revolutionize, revolutionise, overturn - change radically; "E-mail revolutionized communication in academe"
etiolate - bleach and alter the natural development of (a green plant) by excluding sunlight
barbarise, barbarize - make crude or savage in behavior or speech; "his years in prison have barbarized the young man"
alkalinise, alkalinize - make (a substance) alkaline; "The oxide is alkalized"
mythicise, mythicize, mythologise, mythologize - make into a myth; "The Europeans have mythicized Rte. 66"
allegorise, allegorize - make into an allegory; "The story was allegorized over time"
demythologise, demythologize - remove the mythical element from (writings); "the Bible should be demythologized and examined for its historical value"
land, bring - bring into a different state; "this may land you in jail"
coarsen - make less subtle or refined; "coarsen one's ideals"
affect, bear upon, impact, bear on, touch on, touch - have an effect upon; "Will the new rules affect me?"
alchemise, alchemize - alter (elements) by alchemy
alcoholise, alcoholize - make alcoholic, as by fermenting; "alcoholize prunes"
shape, form - give shape or form to; "shape the dough"; "form the young child's character"
round down, round off, round out, round - express as a round number; "round off the amount"
suspend - cause to be held in suspension in a fluid; "suspend the particles"
sober - cause to become sober; "A sobering thought"
reconstruct - cause somebody to adapt or reform socially or politically
increase - make bigger or more; "The boss finally increased her salary"; "The university increased the number of students it admitted"
ease off, let up, ease up - reduce pressure or intensity; "he eased off the gas pedal and the car slowed down"
assimilate - make similar; "This country assimilates immigrants very quickly"
dissimilate - make dissimilar; cause to become less similar
commute, exchange, convert - exchange a penalty for a less severe one
vitalise, vitalize - give life to; "The eggs are vitalized"
clear, unclutter - rid of obstructions; "Clear your desk"
activate - make active or more active; "activate an old file"
activate - make (substances) radioactive
aerate, activate - aerate (sewage) so as to favor the growth of organisms that decompose organic matter
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

modify

verb
1. change, reform, vary, convert, transform, alter, adjust, adapt, revise, remodel, rework, tweak (informal), reorganize, recast, reshape, redo, refashion They agreed to modify their recruitment policy.
2. tone down, limit, reduce, lower, qualify, relax, ease, restrict, moderate, temper, soften, restrain, lessen, abate He had to modify his stand considerably.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

modify

verb
To make or become different:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُخَفِّف، يُهَدِّئ ، يُعَدِّل ، يُغَيِّريُعَدِّلُ
pozměnitupravit
ændre
muutma
muokata
modificirati
módosít
breyta
変更する
수정하다
modifikacijamodifikuotipakeitimas
modificēt, pārveidot
modifica
modifikovať
ändra
เปลี่ยนแปลงแก้ไข
sửa đổi

modify

[ˈmɒdɪfaɪ] VT
1. (= change) → modificar
2. (= moderate) → moderar
3. (Ling) → modificar
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

modify

[ˈmɒdɪfaɪ] vtmodifier
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

modify

vt
(= change)(ver)ändern; designabändern; terms, contract, wordingmodifizieren; (Comput) → ändern
(= moderate)mäßigen
(Gram) → näher bestimmen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

modify

[ˈmɒdɪˌfaɪ] vt (change, also) (Gram) → modificare; (moderate, demands) → moderare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

modify

(ˈmodifai) verb
to change the form or quality of, usually slightly. We had to modify the original design.
ˌmodifiˈcation (-fi-) noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

modify

يُعَدِّلُ upravit ændre modifizieren τροποποιώ modificar muokata modifier modificirati modificare 変更する 수정하다 wijzigen endre zmodyfikować modificar модифицировать ändra เปลี่ยนแปลงแก้ไข değişiklik yapmak sửa đổi 修改
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

modify

vt. modificar, cambiar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

modify

vt (pret & pp -fied) modificar
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
Indeed; he knew better than any one else at Haarlem or Leyden -- the two towns which boast the best soil and the most congenial climate -- how to vary the colours, to modify the shape, and to produce new species.
He beheld him sifting his seeds, and soaking them in liquids which were destined to modify or to deepen their colours.
According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans.
"Parents are helping their sons by paying money to them to modify the cars in garages.
The DRRA should be conducted prior to contract award, taking into consideration such factors as multiple-site or shared-use requirements, and whether the government's software maintenance philosophy will require the rights to modify or have third parties modify the software.
15409 also provides a broad umbrella under which a court may modify the administrative or dispositive provisions of a trust, or may terminate the trust, if "owing to circumstances not known to the settlor and not anticipated by the settlor, the continuation of the trust under its terms would defeat or substantially limit the accomplishment of the purposes of the trust."
In gene therapy, scientists typically modify viruses so they can't replicate in the patient's body and cause infection.
Authorizations to Modify Use Regulations in Loft Areas
These additives modify the bitumen to make it appropriate for different types of roofs, in different climates.