amendment
Americannoun
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amendments
plural
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an alteration of or addition to a motion, bill, constitution, etc.
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a change made by correction, addition, or deletion.
The editors made few amendments to the manuscript.
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Horticulture. a soil-conditioning substance that promotes plant growth indirectly by improving such soil qualities as porosity, moisture retention, and pH balance.
noun
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the act of amending; correction
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an addition, alteration, or improvement to a motion, document, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of amendment
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English word from Old French word amendement. See amend, -ment
Explanation
An amendment is a change made to an original, usually a document or statement. You might propose an amendment to your environmental club's bylaws requiring that all official club documents be printed on recycled paper. Can you spot the word amend, meaning "to make better" or "to cure of faults and errors," hidden in amendment? If so, you'll grasp the notion that an amendment is something intended to improve whatever preceded it. It pops up most often in formal legal contexts, where it refers to a written change to a bill, law, contract, or the U.S. Constitution.
Vocabulary lists containing amendment
U.S. Government Lingo
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American History I
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13th Amendment (1865)
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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.
See Examples For:
The amendment was approved by the contest's governing body, following feedback from participating broadcasters after Eurovision 2026 in Vienna.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
An amendment proposed by Supervisor Holly Mitchell to take steps to ensure that the office’s work would not be redundant with that done by other county entities was accepted before the vote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
In many ways, “Becoming George” serves as a thoroughgoing and persuasive amendment to the incomplete legacy that has tailed Sand for so long.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Heller decision, which fundamentally changed the country’s understanding of the amendment.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
On May 21, 1919, the new House passed the suffrage amendment by a vote of 304 to 89, more than the required two-thirds.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Twenty-seven laws have been passed, and two amendments to the constitution.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The bill states that “nothing in this title or the amendments made by this title shall be construed to override, modify, or amend the applicability of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The Board of Supervisors did not take up the requested amendments before voting for the motion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Your friend would need to ensure that the trust’s terms and governing amendments are rock solid.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
“You get paid to teach government. The first, second, and third amendments to the Constitution. Stuff like that. Why don’t you just dive right in?”
From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz
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.
