rectify
verb
Did you know?
Don’t worry if you struggle with the word rectify—we’re here to set you straight. When you rectify something, you correct an error or make things right, which is fitting because rectify and correct both ultimately trace back to the Latin word regere, which can mean “to lead straight,” “to direct,” or “to rule.” Rectify has had its “to set right” meaning since the early 16th century, but the word has over the years accrued various other meanings as well, including the specialized uses “to purify especially by repeated or fractional distillation” (as in “rectified alcohol”), “to make (an alternating current) unidirectional,” and several medical applications having to do with healing of one kind or another. Regere plays a part in the histories of a number of familiar English words, in addition to those mentioned above; the many relatives of rectify include direct, resurrection, and regimen.
Examples of rectify in a Sentence
Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 25 May 2025
The probes provided guidance — or consent decrees — on police reform to rectify civil rights violations that the DOJ uncovered.
—Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill, 21 May 2025
While reducing schedules helps mitigate delays, airlines cannot address the systemic problems that undermine passengers' sense of safety or rectify headlines about controllers warning of safety concerns.
—Allen Adamson, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Fully dealing with the threat would mean tackling systemic issues, from mitigating climate change to rectifying inequities in who is exposed to heat and can afford to cool themselves off.
—The Editors, Scientific American, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rectify
Cite this Entry
“Rectify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rectify. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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rectify
verb
Medical Definition
rectify
transitive verb
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