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

If lawmakers in both chambers agree to a date, the Senate could vote on it and then send it back to the House for ratification. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025

Yet, after its ratification in 1870, Southern states set about trying to circumvent the amendment's intent by devising new ways to shape, control, and limit voting. —Time, 29 Oct. 2025

Amending the Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of Congress and ratification of 38 states. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025

The agreement reopens transport routes and sets groundwork for a peace treaty, though final ratification is pending. —Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 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