justify
v.v. to give a good reason for something that other people might think is wrong or unnecessary. You use this to show that an action or decision is fair and right.
v. to provide a legitimate reason or explanation for an action, belief, or decision. Often used in academic or legal contexts to demonstrate that a claim or conduct is warranted.
You need to justify why you spent so much money.
The manager had to justify the decision to hire more staff during the budget meeting.
The defense attorney attempted to justify the client's actions by citing extreme emotional distress and a lack of prior criminal history.
From Middle English justifien, from Old French justifier, from Late Latin justificare (“make just”), from Latin justus, iustus (“just”) + ficare (“make”), from facere, equivalent to just + -ify.
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. It is frequently followed by a 'that' clause or a gerund phrase.
justify for the mistakejustify the mistakeJustify is a transitive verb and does not require a preposition before the object.