ratify
verb
rat·i·fy
ˈra-tə-ˌfī 
ratified; ratifying
: to approve and sanction formally : confirm
ratify a treaty
Examples of ratify in a Sentence
A number of countries have refused to ratify the treaty.
Lincoln's home state of Illinois was the first to ratify the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provided for the abolition of slavery.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Ottawa Treaty is an international agreement signed in 1997 that has been ratified or acceded to by more than 160 nations, and in withdrawing from it, Warsaw and the Baltic nations can begin stockpiling and using landmines for the first time in nearly 30 years.
—
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
The formal establishment of an organization to manage Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River basin, shared by Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, was never formally ratified by its member countries.
—Melissa McCracken, The Conversation, 18 Mar. 2025
It then must be ratified by three-quarters of the states to become law.
—Phoebe Petrovic, ProPublica, 17 Mar. 2025
Voters ratified Yeltsin’s pick, not the other way around.
—Michael McFaul, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ratify
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Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
The formal establishment of an organization to manage Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River basin, shared by Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, was never formally ratified by its member countries.
—Melissa McCracken, The Conversation, 18 Mar. 2025
It then must be ratified by three-quarters of the states to become law.
—Phoebe Petrovic, ProPublica, 17 Mar. 2025
Voters ratified Yeltsin’s pick, not the other way around.
—Michael McFaul, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ratify
Cite this Entry
“Ratify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ratify. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ratify
verb
rat·i·fy
ˈrat-ə-ˌfī
ratified; ratifying
: to give legal or official approval to
ratify a treaty
Legal Definition
ratify
transitive verb
rat·i·fy
ˈra-tə-ˌfī
ratified; ratifying
: to make valid or effective
especially
: to adopt or affirm (as the prior act or contract of an agent) by express or implied consent with the effect of original authorization
unable to rescind the contract because he ratified it by accepting the benefits
compare reform
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