{
    "term": "justify",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "academic": true,
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "justify",
            "heSheIt": "justifies"
        },
        "pastSimple": "justified",
        "pastParticiple": "justified",
        "ingForm": "justifying"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to show that somebody/something is right or reasonable",
            "sensetop": "justify doing somethingjustify somebody/something doing somethingjustify something",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "How can they justify paying such huge salaries?",
                    "contextForm": "justify doing something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The results of the inquiry did not justify them departing from their existing policy.",
                    "contextForm": "justify somebody/something doing something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Her success had justified the faith her teachers had put in her.",
                    "contextForm": "justify something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Can you really justify the destruction of such a fine old building?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The decision can be justified on the grounds that there is no realistic alternative."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The events that followed served to justify our earlier decision."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The extra effort involved would go a long way in helping to justify their high price tags."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The meagre result hardly justified the risks they took to get it."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The university could not easily justify spending the money on this."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It would be difficult for an employer to justify dismissing someone on those grounds."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["really", "truly", "easily"],
                "verb + justify": ["can", "serve to", "appear to"],
                "preposition": [
                    "on the grounds of something",
                    "on the grounds that…",
                    "to"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to give an explanation or excuse for something or for doing something",
            "sensetop": "justify something/yourselfjustify something/yourself to somebodyjustify doing somethingjustify somebody/something doing something",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The senator made an attempt to **justify his actions**.",
                    "contextForm": "justify something/yourself"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The Prime Minister has been asked to justify the decision to Parliament.",
                    "contextForm": "justify something/yourself to somebody"
                },
                {
                    "text": "You don't need to justify yourself to me."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He sought to justify taking these measures by citing the threat of a terrorist attack.",
                    "contextForm": "justify doing something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The press release was intended to justify them sacking her.",
                    "contextForm": "justify somebody/something doing something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He found it very difficult to justify his decision."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Can you justify that accusation?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "How will you justify this pay cut to your employees?"
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "defend"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to arrange lines of printed text so that one or both edges are straight",
            "sensetop": "justify something",
            "labels": "(specialist)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "bad or unfair methods of doing something are acceptable if the result of that action is good or positive",
            "labels": "(saying)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He defended a morality in which the end justifies the means."
                },
                {
                    "text": "That's only OK if you believe that the end justifies the means."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ/",
                "audio": "ju/justify/justify__gb_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪz/",
                "audio": "ju/justify/justifies__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪd/",
                "audio": "ju/justify/justified__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪɪŋ/",
                "audio": "ju/justify/justifying__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ/",
                "audio": "ju/justify/justify__us_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪz/",
                "audio": "ju/justify/justifies__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪd/",
                "audio": "ju/justify/justified__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪɪŋ/",
                "audio": "ju/justify/justifying__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English (in the senses ‘administer justice to’ and ‘inflict a judicial penalty on’): from Old French justifier, from Christian Latin justificare ‘do justice to’, from Latin justus, from jus ‘law, right’."
}