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

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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

The amendments added by the Assembly include provisions designed to address potential conflicts between prospective athlete deals and school deals, such as shoe-and-apparel contracts. — Steve Berkowitz, USA TODAY, "California Assembly passes bill that brings state to verge of rules showdown with NCAA," 9 Sep. 2019 But, in fact, most of the people who debated these things, in and out of government, thought the amendments absolutely did cover them. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, "The Buried Promise of the Reconstruction Amendments," 9 Sep. 2019 The Constitution is short—only about 7,500 words, including all its amendments. — Neil M. Gorsuch, Time, "Justice Neil Gorsuch: Why Originalism Is the Best Approach to the Constitution," 6 Sep. 2019 Aguiar-Curry needed 54 votes for her constitutional amendment, but could only muster practically untouchable. — George Skelton, The Mercury News, "Skelton: Proposition 13 is a political third rail in California," 27 Aug. 2019 Khanna is hoping that the final version of the NDAA negotiated in conference with the House and the Senate will include his and Gaetz's amendment. — Grace Segers, CBS News, "What does a progressive foreign policy look like? Rep. Ro Khanna says he has the answer," 8 Aug. 2019 Morgan, who spent millions of dollars on the successful campaign to legalize medical marijuana in 2016, remains focused on his proposed 2020 amendment that would gradually increase the minimum wage in Florida to $15. — Steven Lemongello, orlandosentinel.com, "John Morgan isn’t taking lead role in legalizing marijuana after all," 6 Aug. 2019 And Blumenauer withdrew his own amendment to let Department of Veterans Affairs doctors issue medical cannabis recommendations after the administration pushed back against it. — Marijuana Moment, BostonGlobe.com, "This is the most marijuana-friendly Congress in history," 5 Aug. 2019 His budget proposal was sustainable, predictable and affordable, and together with his constitutional amendments, would protect a full statutory dividend into the future. — Anchorage Daily News, "Full text and video of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s June 28 news conference announcing more than $400 million in budget vetoes," 13 July 2019

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.

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15 Sep 2019

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Time Traveler for amendment

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

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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