An amendment is a formal change, addition, or correction made to the terms of a contract, law, constitution, or other official documents after they have been originally created or agreed upon. It modifies or updates the existing document without completely replacing it, allowing for clarification, correction, or adjustment to better reflect current needs or viewpoints
. In legal and governmental contexts, amendments are often used to revise constitutions or statutes. For example, the U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times, with the first 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights. Constitutional amendments require a formal process, including proposal and ratification by a supermajority of states or legislative bodies
. In contracts, amendments allow parties to change terms such as delivery schedules or other conditions without rewriting the entire agreement. All parties must agree and sign the amendment for it to be valid
. In meetings or parliamentary procedure, an amendment is a motion to alter the wording or substance of a pending motion before it is adopted. Amendments can be primary (first-level changes) or secondary (amendments to the primary amendment), and they require a majority vote to be accepted
. Overall, an amendment serves as a formal mechanism to improve, update, or correct a document or proposal while keeping the original framework largely intact.
