Definition of CODIFY

Other words from codify

codifiability \ˌkä-də-ˌfī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē,

ˌkō- \ noun

codification \ˌkä-də-fə-ˈkā-shən,

ˌkō- \ noun

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

Connecticut is one of the few states that has codified the provisions of Roe v. Wade in state law. — Christopher Keating, courant.com, "What Would Overturning Roe V. Wade Mean For Abortion Access In Connecticut?," 11 July 2018 Cuomo also called on the state Senate to hold a special session to pass legislation that would codify Roe v. Wade in New York before the next Supreme Court justice is confirmed. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Fox News, "New York Gov. Cuomo signs reproductive rights executive order ahead of Trump's Supreme Court pick," 9 July 2018 Then, America invented a system of Jim Crow laws that codified racial discrimination as an official system of oppression. — Solomon Jones, Philly.com, "Not everyone in America is free this Fourth of July | Solomon Jones," 3 July 2018 On the Democratic side, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo instituted the policy via an executive order just days after Parkland, and now the Legislature is moving to pass a bill to codify it into law. — James Pindell, BostonGlobe.com, "Unlike many gun measures, ‘red flag’ laws are actually passing. It looks likes Mass. will be next," 24 May 2018 His private-equity firm, Vista Equity Partners, has codified that notion into 110 acronym-heavy directives known as Vista Best Practices. — Laura Cooper, WSJ, "Billionaire’s Secret Buyout Formula: 110 Instructions and an Intelligence Test," 9 July 2018 The law codifies much of a directive the Department of Correction put in place in February, which outlines procedures for assessing and dealing with gender non-conforming inmates. — Pat Eaton-robb, courant.com, "Law: Trans Inmates In Connecticut Will Be Housed Appropriately," 26 May 2018 Having for the first time codified the existence of a mechanical royalty in a stream, the MMA sets up an entity to collect these mechanical royalties from the digital services and distribute them to writers and publishers. — Adam Gorgoni, Billboard, "Come Together: Why Songwriters Should Support the Music Modernization Act (Guest Column)," 2 Apr. 2018 Even countries with their own footballing traditions embraced the new, codified sport. — Leo Robson, The New Yorker, "How We Watch Soccer Now," 5 Dec. 2016

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.