codify

verb cod·i·fy \ ˈkä-də-ˌfī , ˈkō- \

Updated on: 15 May 2018

Definition of codify

codified; codifying

transitive verb

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

b : classify

Customer complaints are codified as dissatisfaction feedback.

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codifiability

play \ˌkä-də-ˌfī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē, ˌkō-\ noun

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codification

play \ˌkä-də-fə-ˈkā-shən, ˌkō-\ noun

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Examples of codify in a Sentence

The convention codified the rules of war.
The author tries to codify important ideas about language.

Recent Examples of codify from the Web

So far, lawmakers worldwide have been slow to codify parameters for the technology.

— lily hay newman, WIRED, "Facial Recognition Tech Is Creepy When It Works—And Creepier When It Doesn’t," 9 May 2018
In a recent council session, Sigaty summed up the bill’s goal: to codify the allowance of mulch and composting on rural land, while keeping out industrial-sized operations.

— kate magill, Columbia Flier, "Howard County digs into a new debate over mulching regulations," 2 May 2018
Facebook’s trust structure is codified in a user agreement that nobody reads, jeopardizing Facebook’s future as trust is violated.

— joel peterson, Fortune, "Commentary: How Can Facebook Avoid More Trouble Ahead? Implement User Warnings.," 27 Apr. 2018
Restrictions on female educators were lifted, and maternity-leave protections were codified.

— kristen a. graham, Philly.com, "Sunny Richman, 87, teacher, lawyer, union pioneer," 27 Apr. 2018
And therein lies the problem: A secretive scheme that proposes to (literally) codify credibility within a society that inherently lacks any is more likely to undermine public trust that instill it.

— robert foyle hunwick, The New Republic, "How Do You Control 1.4 Billion People?," 25 Apr. 2018
While there has been no official discrimination in the Japanese workplace since gender equality was codified in the mid-1980s, women’s representation lags well behind other nations.

— miho inada, WSJ, "Wrestling With Gender Roles: Women Can Now Enter a Sumo Ring to Save a Man’s Life," 5 Apr. 2018
The Montreal Protocol codified that agreement, and it is widely credited with reducing (though not eliminating) the CFCs in our atmosphere.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "New measurement confirms: The ozone is coming back," 4 Jan. 2018
But Karp’s ability to simplify, codify and publicize the five S’s changed American childcare for the better.

— Philly.com, "The problem with Harvey Karp's $1,160 bassinet," 26 Apr. 2018

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