verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of codify
Explanation
To codify is to arrange information in a logical order that others can follow. Legislators may try to codify, or gather and organize, all laws related to a particular issue. When you look at the word codify you can probably guess that it's related to the word code. Warriors live by a code. Building inspectors check that a building and its systems are up to code. Hockey players use "the code" to determine when — and why — to fight on the ice. All of these codes are clear to the people who use them because someone in the past made an effort to codify the various rules into an organized system.
Vocabulary lists containing codify
Vocabulary from the Twelfth Republican Debate, March 10, 2016
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Content Summary 4.7: Early Modern Western Society and Culture
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President Obama's Remarks on Spying Scandal
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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 point of the summit would be to codify that view—and to take the first steps toward enacting it.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
The common council will vote to codify the moratorium on Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
In early August, the Motor Carrier Safety Administration moved to codify those language requirements through the federal rulemaking process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
The poor conditions were also the backdrop for a push in 1980 by the New Progressive Party governor at the time, Carlos Romero Barceló, to codify voting rights for prisoners.
From Salon ● May 6, 2026
He had tried to codify the evil uses of might by individuals, so that he might set bounds to them by the impersonal justice of the state.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Congress codified a regulation defining a professional degree as signifying “completion of the academic requirements for beginning practice in a given profession” for which a “professional licensure is also generally required.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
It’s important to remember that it was 1976, so this particular fashion choice was not yet au courant, because they had just codified it.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
Arabic texts as far back as the 15th century codified the discipline of navigation, though ship captains sailed the reefs from memory, using poems rather than maps to recall notable landmarks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Birthright citizenship for people born in US territories such as Puerto Rico is codified by federal statute.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Einstein codified these rules in the special theory of relativity.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
“What is the problem of codifying in law that you’re not allowed to?” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026
The state secretary for digitalisation, Alexander Pröll, from the conservative ÖVP, said that a draft bill codifying the ban would be presented by the end of June.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
They also recalled little pushback when DHS formally banned chokeholds and other tactics in 2023; it was merely codifying the norm.
From Salon ● Jan. 14, 2026
Following the Dueñas decision, California lawmakers passed a bill that would have forced courts to determine whether defendants could pay before imposing many remaining fines — effectively codifying the ruling as state law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2025
He could throw himself into codifying, or speculating, or getting up briefs at any moment and in any surroundings, and dismiss each occupation with equal readiness.
From The Life of Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, Bart., K.C.S.I. A Judge of the High Court of Justice by Sir Leslie Stephen
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