codify
verb
cod·i·fy
ˈkä-də-ˌfī 
ˈkō-
codified; codifying
1
: to reduce to a code
The convention codified the rules of war.
2
a
: systematize
Standardization refers to the process by which a language has been codified in some way.—
Ronald Wardhaugh
Ronald Wardhaugh
b
: classify
Customer complaints are codified as dissatisfaction feedback.
Did you know?
A code is a collection of laws arranged in an orderly way; famous examples include the Code of Hammurabi, from about 1760 B.C. in ancient Babylon, and the Napoleonic Code, produced at Napoleon's orders in 1804. Laws that have been included in a code have been codified. The rules of baseball differed greatly from one place to another until they were codified by Alexander Cartwright in 1845; they haven't changed much since, though we don't know what Cartwright would say about the designated hitter.
Examples of codify in a Sentence
The convention codified the rules of war.
The author tries to codify important ideas about language.
Recent Examples on the Web
North Carolina: State law mirrors FLSA but is separately codified.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
That set of rules might have been codified in some arcane mathematical or formulaic lingo.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025
In an interview with the American-Statesman after the hearing, Creighton said SB 37 seeks to codify and add accountability to faculty senates.
—Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Lastly, the Senate took up a Sen. Jo Comerford bill to codify a blue envelope program in Massachusetts law to improve interactions between police and autistic drivers.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for codify
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Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025
That set of rules might have been codified in some arcane mathematical or formulaic lingo.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2025
In an interview with the American-Statesman after the hearing, Creighton said SB 37 seeks to codify and add accountability to faculty senates.
—Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
Lastly, the Senate took up a Sen. Jo Comerford bill to codify a blue envelope program in Massachusetts law to improve interactions between police and autistic drivers.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for codify
Cite this Entry
“Codify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/codify. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
codify
verb
cod·i·fy
ˈkäd-ə-ˌfī
ˈkōd-
codified; codifying
: to arrange (as a collection of laws) in an orderly form
Legal Definition
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