rectify
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
- rectifiable adjective
- rectification noun
- self-rectifying adjective
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; right
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.
His ideas of trying to rectify the distortions in the transport market make sense to me, too.
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
Last year, he proposed to rectify this injustice via the Capital Gains Inflation Relief Act of 2025.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
Though some of those practices still exist in some form, emerging public consciousness and civil rights activists have put increasing pressure on policymakers to take steps to rectify this.
From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026
Few things are less edifying than a mob that has decided to rectify a great wrong in the name of justice and purity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
The authorities rued the fact that they had allowed us study privileges, and Badenhorst was determined to rectify that mistake.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
