rectify
Americanverb (used with object)
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rectifies,
present (3rd person singular)
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rectified,
past participle, past
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rectifying
present participle
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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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rectifysimple
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rectifiessimple
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have rectifiedperfect
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has rectifiedperfect
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am rectifyingprogressive
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are rectifyingprogressive
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is rectifyingprogressive
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have been rectifyingperfect progressive
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has been rectifyingperfect progressive
Past
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rectifiedsimple
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had rectifiedperfect
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was rectifyingprogressive
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were rectifyingprogressive
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had been rectifyingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
“There are legitimate water quality threats that we need to attack and rectify in a regulatory manner. And then there are things that are out in the left field that just distract people,” Donley said.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
Incomes have fallen behind inflation recently, but lower oil prices should soon rectify the problem.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
"It was a fight for the ages, but I made some mistakes that I will rectify in the rematch. Congratulations to Daniel, but I'm coming for you and my belt."
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
“I truly, truly just want it to be better for disabled fliers in the future. Aside from just me. ... They’re doing the right thing in terms of figuring out how to rectify it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
The messages he had received referred to articles or news items which for one reason or another it was thought necessary to alter, or, as the official phrase had it, to rectify.
From "1984" by George Orwell
This new project, located in the Badlands as a nod to Roosevelt’s embrace of the American landscape and environmental stewardship, rectifies the situation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
“As as of today, he has flown back to Chicago, I think, just until the situation rectifies itself.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 25, 2023
Her casting and Williams' also rectifies the overwhelming whiteness of the original cast by adding two dynamic figures providing other missions to chase than past glory.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2023
The bill also rectifies conflicting circuit court decisions that have resulted in a higher burden to charge offenses like assaulting a police officer than Congress intended.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 27, 2022
Wilkerson not only rectifies the world’s ignorance about the Great Migration, but with twelve hundred interviews and crystalline prose she makes us understand it in its full human reality.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
The only thing Lenny Kaye somehow hadn’t done was release a solo record, which he rectified in July of 2026 with the release of “Goin’ Local,” out on Yep Roc on July 17.
From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026
That situation will be rectified in a matter of weeks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
NS&I has said that the error that led to the scandal has been rectified, and a more robust process for bereavement claims was brought in in January.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
Our long national nightmare is over: Paramount+ has gone more than a month without a Taylor Sheridan show, but that situation will be rectified in March with not one, but two, new Sheridan-produced shows.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
His pride had prevented him from making contact with the armed groups in the interior of the country until the leaders of the party publicly rectified their declaration that he was a bandit.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Marco Odermatt is the self-proclaimed leader of the Swiss men's team, but Olympic gold in Bormio has so far eluded the all-rounder, who has set his sights on rectifying that in Saturday's giant slalom.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
The pact with China is about rectifying a tariff dispute regarding Canadian agricultural and food products, and China-made electric vehicles, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026
These efforts would not only help to move toward rectifying historical inaccuracies, but also ensure that AI/AN communities receive equitable health resources and policy attention.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
Should this be cause for cynicism for people who care about, like, rectifying the injustices that the stains of slavery and racism have left on American society?
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2024
He is capable of rectifying his mistakes, by discussion and experience.
From On Liberty by John Stuart Mill
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.
