amendment
Americannoun
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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
- nonamendment noun
- proamendment adjective
- reamendment noun
- self-amendment noun
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.
Gao left China for New York, where he has permanent residency, shortly after Xi oversaw an amendment to China's criminal code in 2021, which strengthened laws against insulting the country's "heroes and martyrs".
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
But glaciologist Lucas Ruiz says the amendment is based on "false arguments".
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
If proposed by two-thirds votes of both congressional chambers, this amendment would then go to the states for ratification.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
The plaintiffs argue that the order violates Section 1 of the Constitution’s 14th amendment, which says “all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the U.S.”
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
In the late 1870s, Stanton and Anthony continued to work on behalf of a constitutional amendment that would grant women the right to vote.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
