amendment

noun

amend·ment | \ ə-ˈmen(d)-mənt

Definition of amendment

1a : the process of altering or amending a law or document (such as a constitution) by parliamentary or constitutional procedure rights that were granted by amendment of the Constitution

b : an alteration proposed or effected by this process a constitutional amendment

2 : the act of amending something : correction

3 : a material (such as compost or sand) that aids plant growth indirectly by improving the condition of the soil soil amendments

Synonyms What is a constitutional amendment? More Example Sentences Learn More about amendment

Keep scrolling for more

What is a constitutional amendment?

An amendment is essentially a correction. It comes in many varieties, up to and including the process of altering something through either parliamentary or constitutional procedure. In the United States, the word is often used specifically of a change to the U.S. Constitution. A constitutional amendment may be proposed by Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives or through a constitutional convention with majority votes in two-thirds of state legislatures. Once it is ratified by Congress, it must be approved by three-fourths (i.e., 38 of 50) of the states.

Examples of amendment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Another amendment would require the GAO to submit a report on the response of law enforcement agencies on the crisis. — Grace Segers, CBS News, "Congress tackles crisis of missing and murdered Native American women," 5 June 2019 The House agreed to accept the Senate amendment in an 88-9 vote on Sunday. — Drew Broach, nola.com, "John Alario, Norman Francis could live to see their names on public buildings," 4 June 2019 That amendment required the Legislature to pass the budgets first. — al.com, "How I learned to quit worrying and love the special session," 3 June 2019 Lacking an amendment in law, last week’s $4.5 million award might be the one and only case that cited the incentive, Mr. McKessy said. — Mengqi Sun, WSJ, "SEC Policy Incentivizing Whistleblowers Weakened by Ruling, Lawyers Say," 31 May 2019 The Senate Armed Services Committee approved three amendments in its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2020 related to the burgeoning small-launch industry, SpaceNews reports. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Rocket Report: Omega rocket blows a nozzle, NASA still wants 2020 SLS launch," 31 May 2019 Illinois and Nevada have ratified the amendment in the past two years, bringing the number of states who have to 37. — James Macpherson, The Seattle Times, "North Dakota moves to nullify its 1975 Equal Rights support," 29 Mar. 2019 The administration took this latest action even though the Senate included an amendment in the recent defense bill to restrict Trump from helping out ZTE. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Toothless trade resolution demonstrates Congress’s unwillingness to check Trump," 12 July 2018 As things stand, the council made a few amendments in the procedures that the port district had approved for itself. — Gregory Tejeda, Post-Tribune, "Gary approves new Port Board bylaws," 3 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amendment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about amendment

Dictionary Entries near amendment

Statistics for amendment

Last Updated

9 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for amendment

The first known use of amendment was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for amendment

amendment

noun

amend·ment | \ ə-ˈmend-mənt

Kids Definition of amendment

: a change in wording or meaning especially in a law, bill, or motion

amendment

noun

amend·ment

Legal Definition of amendment

1 : an act of amending especially : an alteration in wording amendments to cure the defect in the pleading

2 : an alteration proposed or put into effect by parliamentary or constitutional procedure the Congress…shall propose amendments to this Constitution — U.S. Constitution art. V