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

Legal scholars warn that revoking birthright citizenship would likely require a constitutional amendment, an arduous process involving approval by two-thirds of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states. —Tahar Rajab, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025

The process to repeal an amendment requires a 2/3 vote in the House and Senate plus ratification by 3/4 of the states. —Arkansas Online, 10 May 2025

But any change to the Constitution requires a supermajority vote in Congress, and then ratification by three-quarters of the states. —Natalie Proulx, New York Times, 1 May 2025

There is no wishing away Moscow’s signature on, and ratification of, the September 1990 treaty that allowed NATO’s jurisdiction to move eastward across the Cold War– era frontline. —Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 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