ratification

noun

rat·​i·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌra-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

plural ratifications

: the act or process of ratifying something (such as a treaty or amendment) : formal confirmation or sanction

… the ratification of the 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery in the United States.

—Suzanne Travers

A treaty would require two-thirds approval in the Senate for ratification.

—Lois Ember

More than 100 countries signed the Rome Treaty, and it is expected that the court will come into existence within the next year or two, when it receives the necessary sixty treaty ratifications.

—Richard Falk

Examples of ratification in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The declaration was drafted in multiple in-person gatherings and finalized after a wider ratification meeting in New Orleans in January. —Jared Perlo, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026

This concern about the executive and war was succinctly expressed in a letter from James Madison to Thomas Jefferson a decade after ratification. —William J Watkins Jr, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026

The Dred Scott decision was later overruled by the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments after the Civil War, which outlawed slavery, gave former slaves citizenship, and gave former slaves voting rights, respectively. —Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026

The cadets were among roughly 30 political prisoners released Monday from El Rodeo I prison, one of the country’s most notorious detention centers, following the ratification of the legislation aimed at easing political tensions after years of conflict. —Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ratification

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

ratification

noun

rat·​i·​fi·​ca·​tion

ˌrat-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən

: the action of ratifying