approve

[uh-proov]

verb (used with object)

approved, approving 

1. to speak or think favorably of; pronounce or consider agreeable or good; judge favorably.

   to approve the policies of the administration.

   Synonyms: esteem, appreciate

2. to consent or agree to.

   Father approved our plan to visit Chicago.

   Synonyms: permit, allow
   Antonyms: deny, veto, prohibit, outlaw, interdict, disallow

3. to confirm or sanction formally; ratify.

   The Senate promptly approved the bill.

   Synonyms: validate, sanction, endorse, confirm, authorize
   Antonyms: veto, prohibit, outlaw, interdict, disallow, deny

4. Obsolete.

   1. to demonstrate; show.

   2. to make good; attest.

   3. to prove by trial.

   4. to convict.

verb (used without object)

approved, approving 

1. to speak or consider favorably (sometimes followed byof: )

   Mother didn't approve of him.

   The boss wouldn't approve of the plan.

   He said that he approved.

approve

¹

/ əˈpruːv /

verb

1. to consider fair, good, or right; commend (a person or thing)

2. (tr) to authorize or sanction

3. obsolete,  (tr) to demonstrate or prove by trial

approve

²

/ əˈpruːv /

verb

1. (tr) law to improve or increase the value of (waste or common land), as by enclosure

Other Word Forms

• approvedly adverb
• approvedness noun
• approvingly adverb
• nonapproved adjective
• preapprov verb
• reapprove verb
• self-approved adjective
• self-approving adjective
• unapproved adjective
• unapproving adjective
• unapprovingly adverb
• well-approved adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of approve¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English a(p)proven, from Anglo-French, Old French aprover, from Latin approbāre, equivalent to ap- ap- ¹ + probāre “to prove ”

Word History and Origins

Origin of approve¹

C14: from Old French aprover, from Latin approbāre to approve, from probāre to test, _prove

Origin of approve²

C15: from Old French approuer to turn to advantage, from prou advantage

Synonym Study

Approve, commend, praise mean to have, and usually to express, a favorable opinion. To approve is to have a very good opinion, expressed or not, of someone or something: He approved the new plan. To commend is to speak or write approvingly, often formally and publicly, to congratulate or honor for something done: to commend a worker for a job well done. To praise is to speak or write, often in glowing and emotional terms, about one or more persons, actions, plans, etc.: to praise someone's courage.

Example Sentences

Professor and endocrinologist Simone van de Sande Lee is clear: "These are drugs approved to treat conditions like diabetes or obesity - they are not cosmetic tools."

Read more on BBC

California voters approved the redistricting plan proposed in Proposition 50 by nearly 20 points in a special election this month.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Prasad said the agency would no longer rely on certain study results to approve vaccines for pregnant women, saying “prior promises will be null and void.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which monitors for disease outbreaks, and the Food and Drug Administration, which approves new medications and treatments.

Read more on Salon

Days before the shooting, DHS had internally launched a similar review of all refugee cases approved during the Biden administration, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accept 
• advocate 
• agree 
• authorize 
• back 
• certify 
• confirm 
• endorse 
• establish 
• license 
• okay 
• permit 
• push for www.thesaurus.com
• ratify 
• recommend 
• sanction 
• sign 
• support 
• uphold