as in to approve
to give official acceptance of as satisfactory
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
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Recent Examples of ratify
His appointment must be ratified by the Senate.
—
María Verza, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Bart Jansen Solicitor General John Sauer argued that the 14th Amendment ratified in 1868 shouldn’t grant citizenship to the holders of temporary visas or immigrants without legal authorization to be in the country.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Just down the road, another monument recognizes Carrie Chapman Catt, a Ripon native who led the campaign to ratify the 19th Amendment.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026
What the Framers Actually Built The Constitution ratified in 1789 is a short, deliberately limited document.
—Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ratify
María Verza, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Bart Jansen Solicitor General John Sauer argued that the 14th Amendment ratified in 1868 shouldn’t grant citizenship to the holders of temporary visas or immigrants without legal authorization to be in the country.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Just down the road, another monument recognizes Carrie Chapman Catt, a Ripon native who led the campaign to ratify the 19th Amendment.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 1 Apr. 2026
What the Framers Actually Built The Constitution ratified in 1789 is a short, deliberately limited document.
—Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ratify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratify
Verb
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The bill also approves a request for a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
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If passed, the moratorium would temporarily stop the Legislature from accepting, processing and approving rezoning applications and site plans for data centers in the county.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Investigators are working to determine whether Saturday's deadly shooting in Beaver Falls is related to shots fired in Aliquippa at Valley Terrace on Monday night, Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible confirmed.—
Jennifer Borrasso,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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His decision to plead guilty was confirmed by three people familiar with it.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ratify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratify. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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