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 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, signed but not ratified by Washington, has largely prevented such detonations, with North Korea being the only nation to break it.
—
Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty from 1996 was never fully ratified, and Moscow suspended participation in the bilateral US-Russia New START deal in 2023, which will expire in February.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
The treaty was a precursor to the current Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty which has been ratified by 178 states.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Actors’ Equity has voted to ratify its contract with the Broadway League.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ratify
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty from 1996 was never fully ratified, and Moscow suspended participation in the bilateral US-Russia New START deal in 2023, which will expire in February.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
The treaty was a precursor to the current Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty which has been ratified by 178 states.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Actors’ Equity has voted to ratify its contract with the Broadway League.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 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 1 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share