amendment

noun

amend·​ment ə-ˈmen(d)-mənt How to pronounce amendment (audio)
1
a
: the process of altering or amending a law or document (such as a constitution) by parliamentary or constitutional procedure
rights that were granted by amendment of the Constitution
b
: an alteration proposed or effected by this process
a constitutional amendment
2
: the act of amending something : correction
3
: a material (such as compost or sand) that aids plant growth indirectly by improving the condition of the soil
soil amendments

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What is a constitutional amendment?

An amendment is essentially a correction. It comes in many varieties, up to and including the process of altering something through either parliamentary or constitutional procedure. In the United States, the word is often used specifically of a change to the U.S. Constitution. A constitutional amendment may be proposed by Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives or through a constitutional convention with majority votes in two-thirds of state legislatures. Once it is ratified by Congress, it must be approved by three-fourths (i.e., 38 of 50) of the states.

Examples of amendment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Youngkin has options for bringing it back to life, most likely by submitting a bill or a budget amendment when lawmakers return to Richmond on April 17 to take up measures vetoed or amended by the governor. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 French legislators approved the constitutional amendment on Monday in a 780-72 vote that was backed by many far-right lawmakers. Angela Charlton and Jade Le Deley, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024 What’s to stop Republican state attorneys general from refusing to allow Biden on their ballot by invoking the presidential disability amendment to claim Biden unfit given his obvious mental decline and his refusal to take a cognitive test? Larry Elder, Orange County Register, 8 Mar. 2024 The Administration decided to work with us to implement our amendment through the issuance of a national-security memorandum. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2024 And for nearly 25 years the amendment was perceived as a threat to, and all but paralyzed, the CDC's support and study of gun violence. Christine Spolar, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 In November, 21 out of 85 house Republicans voted with Democrats on an amendment that removed school choice from an education-funding bill. Dominic Pino, National Review, 6 Mar. 2024 The agreements are part of an amendment to the old shortage-sharing guidelines, which the government released on Tuesday. Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 Steffen pushed for the amendment with unproven claims that voting machines could be manipulated to sway the results of an election. Katie Bernard, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'amendment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see amend

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of amendment was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near amendment

Cite this Entry

“Amendment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amendment. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

amendment

noun
amend·​ment ə-ˈmen(d)-mənt How to pronounce amendment (audio)
1
: the act or process of amending especially for the better
2
: a change in wording or meaning especially in a law, bill, or motion

Legal Definition

amendment

noun
amend·​ment
1
: an act of amending
especially : an alteration in wording
amendments to cure the defect in the pleading
2
: an alteration proposed or put into effect by parliamentary or constitutional procedure
the Congress…shall propose amendments to this ConstitutionU.S. Constitution art. V

More from Merriam-Webster on amendment

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