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
The overview of all departments by chief executive Paul Barber was ratified by the Brighton board at last summer’s annual general meeting.
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Andy Naylor, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
The agreement was relatively uncontroversial then, but when the time rolled around for the Danish parliament to officially ratify the treaty, this past June, Danes were feeling a lot more skeptical.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
America’s ratification that year broke a logjam of inaction by nations that had signed the agreement but were wary about actually ratifying it as a legal document.
—Gary W. Yohe, The Conversation, 10 Jan. 2026
If ratified, the declaration will remain in place until the council’s next meeting when the council can choose to extend or remove it.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ratify
Andy Naylor, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
The agreement was relatively uncontroversial then, but when the time rolled around for the Danish parliament to officially ratify the treaty, this past June, Danes were feeling a lot more skeptical.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
America’s ratification that year broke a logjam of inaction by nations that had signed the agreement but were wary about actually ratifying it as a legal document.
—Gary W. Yohe, The Conversation, 10 Jan. 2026
If ratified, the declaration will remain in place until the council’s next meeting when the council can choose to extend or remove it.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ratify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratify
Verb
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During Hunn’s tenure, the board also approved $526 million to enhance rates for Medi-Cal claims by 8% to ease the financial strain on providers and help retain them to serve the disabled or those below the poverty level.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
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State leaders encourage Marylanders to continue giving feedback, as the map would need to be approved by February 24.—
Janay Reece,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Though a second season hasn't been confirmed, the show hasn't been billed as a limited series, and there are over 30 titles in The Beauty comic series to potentially pull from.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
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Fox News confirmed that the president is planning to arrange a signing ceremony for the Gaza Board of Peace during his visit.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ratify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratify. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.
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