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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Content Summary 4.7: Early Modern Western Society and Culture
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
President Obama's Remarks on Spying Scandal
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
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
He said Iran has a chance to make a deal and to codify what they said they’ve been willing to do.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 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
In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump said he would ask Congress to "codify" the plan and would discuss it further at the Davos World Economic Forum later this month.
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 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
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
Birthright citizenship for people born in US territories such as Puerto Rico is codified by federal statute.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
This is a requirement of the ACA codified in regulation by the Internal Revenue Service and enforced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services since 2012.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
In many ways, China’s vernacular taste in automotive design codified the excesses of the West and doubled down upon them, propelled by the status-signaling anxieties of rising Chinese affluence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Einstein codified these rules in the special theory of relativity.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
We need a provision intended for gender that ensures women are viewed as full and equal citizens, finally codifying the vision of equality activists have sought for over a century.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
“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
Our thoughts are guided by an implicit logic long before we have even a conception of logic in the abstract, or have the least thought of codifying and tabulating its formulæ.
From Social Rights And Duties Addresses to Ethical Societies Vol II by Leslie Stephen
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.
