codify

verb

cod·i·fy | \ ˈkä-də-ˌfī

, ˈkō-\

codified; codifying

Definition of codify

1 : to reduce to a code The convention codified the rules of war.

2a : 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.

Other Words from codify Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about codify

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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

The 1976 law that codifies the president’s broad authority to declare a national emergency also requires statutory authority for emergency actions. — Daniel Flatley, Fortune, "What Trump Gains by Seeing ‘Emergencies’ All Around Him," 5 June 2019 What’s even more exciting is that there are already bills that codify this approach in both the House and the Senate: The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. — WSJ, "Debating the Carbon Tax Dividend Strategy," 24 Jan. 2019 Shortly after that settlement, Georgia passed a law that codified a new, similar version of the exact match system and reinstated a deadline, rejecting uncorrected registrations after a 26-month period. — P.r. Lockhart, Vox, "Georgia, 2018’s most prominent voting rights battleground, explained," 2 Nov. 2018 This is not a change, but merely codifies an attorney general opinion issued by Attorney General Jack Conway in 2015. — Tom Loftus, The Courier-Journal, "Critic: Kentucky lawmaker wants to hide emails like Hillary Clinton's sent from private devices," 22 Mar. 2018 Since Tritton started, Target has launched 20 new private label brands across home goods, electronics, and clothing, mimicking a strategy codified by Amazon over the course of the last decade. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, Vox, "Can Vans really sue Target for a cheap look-alike of its most famous skater shoe?," 26 Dec. 2018 Kennedy later learned the boy had been sent to an internment camp for Japanese Americans, a national disgrace that was later codified into law by the court’s Korematsu decision. — Massimo Calabresi, Time, "With Justice Kennedy Gone, It's Trump's Court Now," 28 June 2018 Standards for detention centers are set by ICE, which is currently run by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and aren’t codified in law. — Elaine Murphy, Teen Vogue, "What Really Happens Inside American Immigration Facilities and Detention Centers," 14 Jan. 2019 Most directly, the Republican Party at its highest levels is working right now in the courts to undo the protections that are currently codified in law. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "The real Republican record on preexisting conditions: GOP is trying to roll back protections," 18 Oct. 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.