codify

verb

cod·i·fy ˈkä-də-ˌfī

ˈkō-

codified; codifying

Synonyms of codify next

transitive verb

: to reduce to a code

The convention codified the rules of war.

: systematize

Standardization refers to the process by which a language has been codified in some way.—

Ronald Wardhaugh

: classify

Customer complaints are codified as dissatisfaction feedback.

codifiability

ˌkä-də-ˌfī-ə-ˈbi-lə-tē

ˌkō-

noun

codification

ˌkä-də-fə-ˈkā-shən

ˌkō-

noun

Did you know?

A code is a collection of laws arranged in an orderly way; famous examples include the Code of Hammurabi, from about 1760 B.C. in ancient Babylon, and the Napoleonic Code, produced at Napoleon's orders in 1804. Laws that have been included in a code have been codified. The rules of baseball differed greatly from one place to another until they were codified by Alexander Cartwright in 1845; they haven't changed much since, though we don't know what Cartwright would say about the designated hitter.

Example Sentences

The convention codified the rules of war. The author tries to codify important ideas about language.

Recent Examples on the Web In the three decades after the loophole was codified, annual growth was 2.1 percent. —

Robert Draper, New York Times, 1 May 2023 Another proposal that was passed, Senate Bill 1556 by state Sen. Tan Parker (R), would codify the Supreme Court’s ruling on Kennedy into law and protect the right of school employees to engage in religious speech or prayer while on duty. —

Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2023 The backlash prompted France’s Interior Ministry to codify in one document, for the first time, a framework for appropriate police conduct, said Roché, the policing specialist. —

Claire Parker and, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Mar. 2023 Congress then codified the pause for six months via passage of the CARES Act. —

Adam S. Minsky, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023 In the wake of recent school shootings, the bill codifies some recommendations from the Arkansas School Safety Commission, specifically calling for schools to have a comprehensive school safety assessment and to work with law enforcement to improve security. —

Neal Earley, Arkansas Online, 8 Mar. 2023 In November 2020, California passed Proposition 22, a law that codified this status. —

Vittoria Elliott, WIRED, 28 Feb. 2023 Biden and other Democratic lawmakers also have urged Congress to codify Roe, a prospect that remains unlikely considering the closely split Senate and Republican majority House coming next month. —

Dallas News, 27 Dec. 2022 Other top words from MW this year were oligarch, omicron, codify and queen consort. —

Aj Willingham, CNN, 6 Dec. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'codify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.