amendment

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableformallaw

   An official change or addition made to a law, rule or legal document.

   Grammar: Takes of or to for the thing changed: an amendment to the bill.

   Patterns

   • an amendment to something
   • propose an amendment

   Lawmakers voted on an amendment to the tax bill.

   The First Amendment protects freedom of speech.

   The contract needs an amendment before we sign.

2. 2noununcountableformal

   The act of changing something in order to improve or correct it.

   Grammar: Often used with of: the amendment of the rules.

   Patterns

   • the amendment of something

   The amendment of the schedule took several weeks.

   Further amendment is needed before the text is final.

Word forms

Common combinations

propose an amendment

A senator proposed an amendment to the budget.

pass an amendment

The council passed the amendment by a narrow vote.

constitutional amendment

A constitutional amendment requires a large majority.

make an amendment

We made an amendment to the draft after the review.

an amendment to the bill

The amendment to the bill removed the penalty.

Synonyms and how they differ

revision

A revision is any reworking of a text, while an amendment is usually a specific official change.

alteration

Alteration is a general word for any change, whereas amendment suggests a formal and recorded one.

correction

A correction fixes an error, but an amendment may change content that was not wrong.

Word family

amend verb

to formally change a law or document

amendable adjective

able to be amended

amends noun

something done to make up for a wrong, as in make amends

Commonly confused: amendment or amends? amendment or emendation?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “amendment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words