rectify
Americanverb (used with object)
-
rectifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rectified,
past participle, past
-
rectifying
present participle
-
to make, put, or set right; remedy; correct.
He sent them a check to rectify his account.
-
to put right by adjustment or calculation, as an instrument or a course at sea.
- Synonyms:
- straighten, regulate, adjust
-
Chemistry. to purify (especially a spirit or liquor) by repeated distillation.
-
Electricity. to change (an alternating current) into a direct current.
-
to determine the length of (a curve).
-
Astronomy, Geography. to adjust (a globe) for the solution of any proposed problem.
verb
-
to put right; correct; remedy
-
to separate (a substance) from a mixture or refine (a substance) by fractional distillation
-
to convert (alternating current) into direct current
-
maths to determine the length of (a curve)
-
to cause (an object) to assume a linear motion or characteristic
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rectifysimple
-
rectifiessimple
-
have rectifiedperfect
-
has rectifiedperfect
-
am rectifyingprogressive
-
are rectifyingprogressive
-
is rectifyingprogressive
-
have been rectifyingperfect progressive
-
has been rectifyingperfect progressive
Past
-
rectifiedsimple
-
had rectifiedperfect
-
was rectifyingprogressive
-
were rectifyingprogressive
-
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
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!
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
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!
Hatchet
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:
Koror's state government has asked for a bigger fund to rectify any potential damage and independent environmental monitoring, according to filings seen by AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Phair felt she was atomized from the female coalitions of the ’90s, and that this co-bill might be a way to rectify that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
For now, it is over to the clubs to see if they can rectify existing issues and harness the power of the national team to push growth to the next level.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy” at the San Francisco Legion of Honor museum aims to rectify that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
It can’t really be happening, the situation will rectify itself.’
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
In “Shadow Before the Flame,” Ms. Katz rectifies that lapse with an account of the airship’s final trans-Atlantic flight and its fiery end at Lakehurst, N.J., on May 6, 1937.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 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
The bill also rectifies conflicting circuit court decisions by clarifying that an attempt or conspiracy to commit an offense involving physical force meets the legal definition of a crime of violence.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 27, 2022
And Bennet's departure provides a rare and much-needed opportunity to rethink the role of opinion within news organizations everywhere, in a way that rectifies them.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2020
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 NHS stopped publishing data in January 2023 due to an inaccuracy that was discovered and this has not since been rectified.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
“There’s reason to be immediately suspicious of the idea that a problem like that could be rectified in one day.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
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
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
Reports and records of all kinds, newspapers, books, pamphlets, films, sound tracks, photographs—all had to be rectified at lightning speed.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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
Against Bournemouth and Atletico they were comfortably on top and built a two-goal advantage, before throwing away cheap goals and ultimately rectifying the situation after piling on the pressure.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2025
He said he didn’t intend to shortchange workers and was working on rectifying the issue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2024
In enumerating suitable shrubs for the Rock Garden, more than ordinary care should be exercised in their selection, in view of the greater difficulty of rectifying mistakes in such positions.
From Trees and Shrubs for English Gardens by Ernest Thomas Cook
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.
