ratify

verb

rat·​i·​fy ˈra-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce ratify (audio)
ratified; ratifying

transitive verb

: to approve and sanction formally : confirm
ratify a treaty
ratifier noun

Examples of ratify in a Sentence

A number of countries have refused to ratify the treaty. 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.
Recent Examples on the Web On Friday, the Republican National Committee is meeting in Texas and is expected to ratify Mr. Trump’s new pick to lead the party, Michael Whatley. Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Over the next few months, IATSE and the Teamsters and Basic Crafts will then bargain their separate agreements, with the hope of having the deals ratified by the deadline. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 3 Mar. 2024 As Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25% stake in Manchester United was ratified by the Premier PINC +1.6% League and the Football Association last week, the part-owner, along with his new hires, will be quickly evaluating Erik Ten Hag’s position. Liam Canning, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The awards show, which streamed live on Netflix, is the first edition of the ceremony since SAG-AFTRA reached a deal with the major studios to end their historic strike and ratified a new contract. Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024 Hungary had been stalling for 19 months on ratifying Sweden’s admission, a delay that had puzzled and exasperated the United States and other members of the alliance, raising questions about Hungary’s reliability as a member of the alliance. Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 The Hungarian leader said during his state of the nation speech on February 17 that the country would be able to ratify Sweden’s accession at the start of the spring session of parliament on Monday. Joshua Berlinger, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 Jim Ratcliffe, the chairman of the petrochemicals company Ineos, bought a 25 percent stake in Man United for $1.5 billion—a deal that was ratified on Tuesday, The New York Times reported. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 22 Feb. 2024 The treaty is now ratified by 70 nations, but so far by none of the states that possess these potentially world-ending systems. William Hartung, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ratify.' 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

Middle English ratifien, from Anglo-French ratifier, from Medieval Latin ratificare, from Latin ratus determined, from past participle of reri to calculate — more at reason entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ratify was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ratify

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

ratify

verb
rat·​i·​fy ˈrat-ə-ˌfī How to pronounce ratify (audio)
ratified; ratifying
: to give legal or official approval to
ratify a treaty

Legal Definition

ratify

transitive verb
rat·​i·​fy ˈra-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce ratify (audio)
ratified; ratifying
: to make valid or effective
especially : to adopt or affirm (as the prior act or contract of an agent) by express or implied consent with the effect of original authorization
unable to rescind the contract because he ratified it by accepting the benefits
compare reform
ratification noun
ratifier noun

More from Merriam-Webster on ratify

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