Meaning & use

ratify

verb·Advanced

To give formal approval to an agreement, making it officially valid.

See it in a sentence

The Senate must ratify the treaty before it can take effect.

Member states ratified the new trade agreement after months of negotiation.

A note on using this word

Ratify specifically applies to formal, often legal or governmental, approval of agreements or treaties, not everyday decisions.

Words with a similar meaning

approveendorsesanction

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

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