as in approving
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 ratifying
Last April, the union celebrated when Atlanta City Council passed a resolution ratifying the first-of-its-kind collective bargaining agreement.
—
Riley Bunch, AJC.com, 17 Mar. 2026
European lawmakers on Monday delayed a vote on ratifying the pact to seek clarification.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 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
Key members led by Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed on Sunday to keep production levels steady through the end of March, once again ratifying a decision first made in November to suspend last year’s sequence of swift increases.
—Grant Smith, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2026
Advertisement When Americans gathered to debate the Constitution at their state ratifying conventions, the 12-juror requirement was a given.
—Time, 17 Dec. 2025
The United States signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996 during President Bill Clinton's first term, but the Senate voted against ratifying the treaty.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Delegates of Workers United and the company resumed bargaining in April 2024 with the goal of ratifying a new contract by the end of the year, but that never came to pass as negotiations stalled with both sides blaming the other for not coming to the table.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
Bethea said the fact that Sky Chefs has delayed ratifying their contract at BWI is a testament to its values.
—Chevall Pryce, Baltimore Sun, 7 Aug. 2025
Riley Bunch, AJC.com, 17 Mar. 2026
European lawmakers on Monday delayed a vote on ratifying the pact to seek clarification.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 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
Key members led by Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed on Sunday to keep production levels steady through the end of March, once again ratifying a decision first made in November to suspend last year’s sequence of swift increases.
—Grant Smith, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2026
Advertisement When Americans gathered to debate the Constitution at their state ratifying conventions, the 12-juror requirement was a given.
—Time, 17 Dec. 2025
The United States signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996 during President Bill Clinton's first term, but the Senate voted against ratifying the treaty.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Delegates of Workers United and the company resumed bargaining in April 2024 with the goal of ratifying a new contract by the end of the year, but that never came to pass as negotiations stalled with both sides blaming the other for not coming to the table.
—Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
Bethea said the fact that Sky Chefs has delayed ratifying their contract at BWI is a testament to its values.
—Chevall Pryce, Baltimore Sun, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ratifying
Verb
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That’s one of the issues with approving funding allegedly dedicated to fixing either schools or roads.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
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The spokesman said the Risk Management division of the city’s Human Resources department is also coming up with ways to reduce delays in approving medical diagnostic testing and certain conservative forms of treatment.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Class members should have received a notice by email or mail with a unique ID and PIN confirming their information was involved.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 2026
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The Iranian judiciary's news agency, Mizan, quoted the Revolutionary Guard as confirming the killing of Soleimani.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ratifying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ratifying. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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