ratify
verb
rat·i·fy
ˈra-tə-ˌfī 
ratified; ratifying
: to approve and sanction formally : confirm
ratify a treaty
Examples of ratify in a Sentence
A number of countries have refused to ratify the treaty.
Lincoln's home state of Illinois was the first to ratify the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which provided for the abolition of slavery.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified 11 years later, was drafted to repudiate that decision and to prevent the creation of a hereditary class of noncitizens within the United States.
—
James Sample, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2025
Lifting whole phrases from the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln elevated 1776 over 1787, when the founders framed the Constitution, or 1791, when the states ratified the Bill of Rights, and placed human equality on a par with individual liberty in the pantheon of American values.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Romuld urged Australia to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Moscow's State Duma ratified the same ahead of Putin's India visit.
—CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ratify
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
James Sample, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2025
Lifting whole phrases from the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln elevated 1776 over 1787, when the founders framed the Constitution, or 1791, when the states ratified the Bill of Rights, and placed human equality on a par with individual liberty in the pantheon of American values.
—Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
Romuld urged Australia to sign and ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Moscow's State Duma ratified the same ahead of Putin's India visit.
—CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ratify
Cite this Entry
“Ratify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ratify. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ratify
verb
rat·i·fy
ˈrat-ə-ˌfī
ratified; ratifying
: to give legal or official approval to
ratify a treaty
Legal Definition
ratify
transitive verb
rat·i·fy
ˈra-tə-ˌfī
ratified; ratifying
: to make valid or effective
especially
: to adopt or affirm (as the prior act or contract of an agent) by express or implied consent with the effect of original authorization
unable to rescind the contract because he ratified it by accepting the benefits
compare reform
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share