ratification

noun

rat·​i·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌra-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

plural ratifications

: the act or process of ratifying something (such as a treaty or amendment) : formal confirmation or sanction

… the ratification of the 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery in the United States.

—Suzanne Travers

A treaty would require two-thirds approval in the Senate for ratification.

—Lois Ember

More than 100 countries signed the Rome Treaty, and it is expected that the court will come into existence within the next year or two, when it receives the necessary sixty treaty ratifications.

—Richard Falk

Examples of ratification in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The move prompted a rare statement from the leaders of the National Archives, who contended the amendment couldn't be certified without action from Congress or the judicial system because states did not meet the deadline established by Congress for ratification. —Michelle Stoddart, ABC News, 17 Jan. 2025

The amendment, which passed Congress with a two-thirds majority in 1972, was an early victim of modern culture war politics and was officially ratified by two-thirds of the states with Virginia’s ratification in January 2020. —Trans Formations Project, Them, 17 Jan. 2025

With the ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870, Black men could vote. —Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2025

Though it hasn’t been specified, that IPA will likely continue on a rolling basis while the ratification process is followed. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ratification

noun

rat·​i·​fi·​ca·​tion

ˌrat-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən

: the action of ratifying