nullify
verb
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A legislature may nullify a ban, a law, or a tax by simply passing a new law. Election results can be nullified if a court finds the voting process was improper, and a court ruling can be nullified by a higher court. Even the Supreme Court itself may have its decisions nullified by new laws passed by the Congress—though not if a decision is based on the Constitution. In the years leading up to the American Civil War, Southern states claimed the right to nullify any federal law (such as antislavery laws) that they believed to be unconstitutional, leading to the Nullification Crisis of 1832. Annul is a close synonym of nullify (with the same root), as are abrogate and invalidate.
Synonyms
Examples of nullify in a Sentence
Martin Vassolo, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
Florida State lawyers have estimated that without a court victory nullifying the grant of rights, the cost for the school to leave the ACC could be $572 million.
—Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
Proposition 133 would nullify the creation of open primaries and enshrine the current partisan primary system in the state Constitution.
—Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
The Jets briefly appeared to score a touchdown on 3rd-and-2 from the four-yard line, but it was nullified because of a holding penalty.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 15 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nullify 
Dictionary Entries Near nullify
Cite this Entry
“Nullify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nullify. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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nullify
verb
Legal Definition
nullify
transitive verb
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