rectify
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make, put, or set right; remedy; correct.
He sent them a check to rectify his account.
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to put right by adjustment or calculation, as an instrument or a course at sea.
- Synonyms:
- straighten, regulate, adjust
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Chemistry. to purify (especially a spirit or liquor) by repeated distillation.
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Electricity. to change (an alternating current) into a direct current.
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to determine the length of (a curve).
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Astronomy, Geography. to adjust (a globe) for the solution of any proposed problem.
verb
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to put right; correct; remedy
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to separate (a substance) from a mixture or refine (a substance) by fractional distillation
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to convert (alternating current) into direct current
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maths to determine the length of (a curve)
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to cause (an object) to assume a linear motion or characteristic
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has rectifiedperfect 3rd person singular
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have rectifiedperfect
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has been rectifyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been rectifyingperfect progressive
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are rectifyingprogressive
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am rectifyingprogressive 1st person singular
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rectifyingparticiple
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is rectifyingprogressive 3rd person singular
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rectifiessingular 3rd person
Past
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had rectifiedperfect
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had been rectifyingperfect progressive
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was rectifyingprogressive singular
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were rectifyingprogressive plural
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rectifiedparticiple
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rectifiedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of rectify
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rectifien, from Middle French rectifier, from Medieval Latin rēctificāre, from Latin rēct(us) “right, straight” + -ificāre -ify; see also right
Explanation
When you rectify something, you fix it or make it right. Some English teachers will give you a chance to rectify any mistakes you've made in an essay and hand in a second, edited draft. This verb often turns up in sentences like "The truce should help to rectify this situation between the two countries," or "I'd like to rectify the misspellings in this article before I print it." To rectify is to correct or improve something — you can imagine straightening out something that's bent to make it work better. The Old French rectifier, in fact, means "to make straight," from the Latin root rectus, "straight."
Vocabulary lists containing rectify
Grade 9, List 1
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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
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Hatchet
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Clemens' talented, ambitious PR flak is a strong coffee jolt to the three other people out there who watched "Rectify" and remember her as gentle Tawney.
From Salon • Feb. 6, 2020
Vanity Fair goes even further, awarding BoJack Horseman the No. 1 slot on its list, above such prestigious live-action fare as Fleabag, Atlanta, and Rectify.
From Slate • Dec. 10, 2019
Rectify this now by getting professional guidance to understand the dynamic, learn to say “no” and hold firm through a scene.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 3, 2017
Maybe the snow got to Abigail Spencer, actress from the series "Rectify," who pulled her sweater over her face.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2016
It’s sad to see shows like The Americans, The Good Wife and Rectify continue to be ignored, while past-their-prime Academy favorites continue to get nominated mostly from inertia.
From The Guardian • Jul. 16, 2015
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
