codify
verb
cod·i·fy
ˈkä-də-ˌfī 
ˈkō-
codified; codifying
1
: to reduce to a code
The convention codified the rules of war.
2
a
: systematize
Standardization refers to the process by which a language has been codified in some way.—
Ronald Wardhaugh
Ronald Wardhaugh
b
: classify
Customer complaints are codified as dissatisfaction feedback.
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.
Examples of codify in a Sentence
The convention codified the rules of war.
The author tries to codify important ideas about language.
Recent Examples on the Web
Central to this surge is the Bizon-L, a logistics robot that was recently codified under NATO standards.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
Judges, too, have been hesitant to consider something that isn’t codified in law.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
Omoto’s testimony was used to not only convict the suspect — who was found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison — but her story and lobbying efforts also changed the law to further codify and enforce threats against school campuses around the state.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
And while there were no significant improvements for compensation for artificial intelligence, the new guild codified the prior wins made in 2023.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for codify
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Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Apr. 2026
Judges, too, have been hesitant to consider something that isn’t codified in law.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
Omoto’s testimony was used to not only convict the suspect — who was found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison — but her story and lobbying efforts also changed the law to further codify and enforce threats against school campuses around the state.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
And while there were no significant improvements for compensation for artificial intelligence, the new guild codified the prior wins made in 2023.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for codify
Cite this Entry
“Codify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/codify. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
codify
verb
cod·i·fy
ˈkäd-ə-ˌfī
ˈkōd-
codified; codifying
: to arrange (as a collection of laws) in an orderly form
Legal Definition
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