1
as in defining
to give the rules about (something) clearly and exactly
the document specifies precisely how you may use the information it contains
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in mentioning
to make reference to or speak about briefly but specifically
police reports didn't specify the model of car the robbers were driving
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of specifying
OpenAI’s paper conspicuously avoids specifying a corporate tax rate, a diplomatic omission that suggests the company knows where the political land mines are buried.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
An Amazon Web Services (AWS) spokesperson said the disruption was ongoing, without specifying the exact location affected or any potential damage done.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Access and collaborative agreements — and sometimes even land return agreements — come with requirements specifying what tribes can and cannot do with the land.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
What Sheridan isn’t shy about specifying is what’s wrong with the present.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2026
The bill also removes language specifying that an officer is not justified in using force during an arrest if the arrest is unlawful.
—Marta Zherukha, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Apple isn't specifying what changes were made—likely a combination of a wider-bandwidth controller, faster NAND flash for lower latency, and platform-level improvements introduced with the M5-series chips—but the company does claim up to two-times-faster SSD performance.
—Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 9 Mar. 2026
Sri Lanka is not allowing the ship to dock but is providing some humanitarian assistance, Cabinet spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa said Wednesday, without specifying if the ship was a commercial or naval vessel.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026
The festival said the Official Selection of the 79th edition will be unveiled mid-April without specifying a date.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
An Amazon Web Services (AWS) spokesperson said the disruption was ongoing, without specifying the exact location affected or any potential damage done.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
Access and collaborative agreements — and sometimes even land return agreements — come with requirements specifying what tribes can and cannot do with the land.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026
What Sheridan isn’t shy about specifying is what’s wrong with the present.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2026
The bill also removes language specifying that an officer is not justified in using force during an arrest if the arrest is unlawful.
—Marta Zherukha, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
Apple isn't specifying what changes were made—likely a combination of a wider-bandwidth controller, faster NAND flash for lower latency, and platform-level improvements introduced with the M5-series chips—but the company does claim up to two-times-faster SSD performance.
—Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 9 Mar. 2026
Sri Lanka is not allowing the ship to dock but is providing some humanitarian assistance, Cabinet spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa said Wednesday, without specifying if the ship was a commercial or naval vessel.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026
The festival said the Official Selection of the 79th edition will be unveiled mid-April without specifying a date.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for specifying
Verb
-
The many-years-sober Levinson drew from his experiences as an addict to shape Euphoria, but more important were his edgelord proclivities, which went from shading the story of how these high-schoolers lived to defining it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Long before Tucker Carlson brought great replacement talk into prime time on Fox News, VDARE treated the concept as the defining issue of our time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Defense attorney Lindsay Thompson pointed to Horner suffering from brain damage, mental illness and extreme lead exposure – while mentioning his autism diagnosis.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Gates has also drawn scrutiny for emails mentioning his now ex-wife, Melinda French Gates.—
Ava Berger,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
For some reason, an online-prescribing company was raffling off a Louis Vuitton bag.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Because the therapist who challenged the law, Kaley Chiles, engages in talk therapy — without prescribing medications or having any physical contact with patients — the majority decided that the Colorado law constitutes a restriction on her speech due to her particular viewpoint, or opinion.—
Theresa Gaffney,
STAT,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When Mecklenburg District Attorney Spencer Merriweather’s office tossed the case against Graves on March 4, citing insufficient evidence and revisiting his original alibi, officers had not announced any other arrests.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Before its construction, however, many people in the community sought to stop the project, citing issues with traffic, pollution and health risks to the neighborhood.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Women suffering through the hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes and sleep problems that can come with menopause — all while looking in the mirror and noticing signs of aging — are being bombarded with products.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
But people in the capital began noticing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The most recent union updates signaled progress, but nothing indicating a strike would be prevented.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Minnesota is 11-40-4-2, the last two numbers indicating overtime losses and shootout losses.—
Tris Wykes,
Twin Cities,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Hadwick says more must be done to encourage young people to quit nicotine, noting that roughly 7% of California high school students currently report using nicotine products.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Murillo also highlighted the broader environmental consequences, noting that the affected region lies within the Venezuelan Amazon and includes key watersheds that feed into the Amazon basin.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On Friday, Lyonne addressed the incident in a post on X, quoting an E!—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Reuters, quoting the country's health ministry, said some 91 people were killed in Beirut, with a total of at least 182 killed nationwide on Wednesday.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Specifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/specifying. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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