ratify
Americanverb (used with object)
-
ratifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ratified,
past participle, past
-
ratifying
present participle
-
to confirm by expressing consent, approval, or formal sanction.
to ratify a constitutional amendment.
- Synonyms:
- approve, corroborate
- Antonyms:
- disapprove, veto
-
to confirm (something done or arranged by an agent or by representatives) by such action.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ratifysimple
-
ratifiessimple
-
have ratifiedperfect
-
has ratifiedperfect
-
am ratifyingprogressive
-
are ratifyingprogressive
-
is ratifyingprogressive
-
have been ratifyingperfect progressive
-
has been ratifyingperfect progressive
Past
-
ratifiedsimple
-
had ratifiedperfect
-
was ratifyingprogressive
-
were ratifyingprogressive
-
had been ratifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ratify
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English ratifien, from Middle French ratifier, from Medieval Latin ratificāre, equivalent to Latin rat(us) “calculated” ( see rate 1) + -ificāre -ify
Explanation
To ratify a treaty or contract is to officially approve it by signing or voting for it. You and your brothers and sisters might devise a plan for a family vacation to Disney World, but it would need to be ratified by your parents. You are most likely to hear the word ratify when talking about laws. In the U.S., Congress writes bills, but they need to be ratified before they become law. An amendment to the U.S. Constitution must be ratified by three-fourths of the states, either passed by the state legislatures or by state conventions.
Vocabulary lists containing ratify
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American History I
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
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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:
It’s rare that candidates are nominated through conventions, which are often opportunities for endless speeches—much like the quadrennial political conventions that national parties hold to ratify their nominees.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
That it fell to Warsh to ratify that turn was the twist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
Samsung Electronics' labour union is expected to announce Wednesday whether chip workers voted to ratify a wage deal that would deliver massive AI-linked bonuses and helped avert a major strike.
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
"So I think we are coming to good solutions that we are going to ratify hopefully today, in order to evolve, because it's only three races in."
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026
Still another reason to care about usage is to ratify a certain attitude to language.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Its logic reaches the labor board, the merit board, and the trade commission and ratifies the removals the court had already waved through at the consumer-product, surface-transportation, and employment agencies.
From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2026
The dollar “probably can keep selling off because it kind of ratifies the current narrative,” said Brent Donnelly, president of Spectra Markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026
“What Mike White does is so insanely strong that when he ratifies an actor — or gives someone their moment — it’s just so deeply impressive,” Perkins says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025
TD Cowen analyst Jaret Seiberg said in a note the Fed "likely expects both the banks and the merchants to challenge any final...rule even if that final proposal simply ratifies the status quo."
From Reuters ● Oct. 25, 2023
New York, Virginia Resolves brought to, 80, 82; ratifies the Constitution conditionally, 345; sends circular letter proposing call for a second convention, 345; its effect in Virginia, 345.
From Patrick Henry by Moses Coit Tyler
MAL was one of four blood group systems ratified during the period covered by the organization's 2026 terminology report, alongside ER, CD36 and ATP11C.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Women couldn’t vote until the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Workers at “World of Warcraft” video game developer Blizzard Entertainment have ratified union contracts after two years of bargaining.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
He points to the 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971 during the Vietnam War.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The Constitution of the United States, only recently ratified, specifically prohibited the Congress from passing any law that abolished or restricted the slave trade until 1808.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
It then examined these provisions’ original public meaning, gleaned from the Federalist Papers, Constitutional Convention records and state ratifying convention debates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
When ratifying the amendment in 1868, however, Congress explicitly recognized that it would also apply to the American-born offspring of immigrants.
From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2026
It has, however, raised questions about trade deals Washington has agreed since Trump's "Liberation Day" bombshell in April, with the European Union demanding clarity on the issue before ratifying its agreement.
From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026
In 2002, Burton carried legislation ratifying the prison officers’ contract negotiated by the Davis administration granting officers a raise of roughly 35% over five years, and boosting their pensions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2025
The bells were actually tolling in recognition of Nebraska’s ratifying the Eighteenth Amendment.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
