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

Previously, any constitutional change required approval by one Assembly and ratification by the next, after a new term began. —Juanita Goebertus, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025

After the reconciliation process, twelve were approved by Congress as a whole and then sent to the states for ratification in 1789. —Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 25 Aug. 2025

Two-thirds of the House and Senate would need to adopt a Constitutional amendment, followed by ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures. —Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025

Now the list is going to each group for ratification. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025

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