approve
Americanverb (used with object)
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to speak or think favorably of; pronounce or consider agreeable or good; judge favorably.
to approve the policies of the administration.
- Synonyms:
- esteem, appreciate
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to consent or agree to.
Father approved our plan to visit Chicago.
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to confirm or sanction formally; ratify.
The Senate promptly approved the bill.
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Obsolete.
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to demonstrate; show.
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to make good; attest.
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to prove by trial.
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to convict.
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verb (used without object)
verb
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to consider fair, good, or right; commend (a person or thing)
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(tr) to authorize or sanction
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obsolete (tr) to demonstrate or prove by trial
verb
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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approvednessnoun
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preapprovverb
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reapproveverb
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nonapprovedadjective
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self-approvedadjective
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self-approvingadjective
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unapprovedadjective
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unapprovingadjective
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well-approvedadjective
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approvedlyadverb
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approvinglyadverb
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unapprovinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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approvesimple
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approvessimple
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have approvedperfect
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has approvedperfect
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am approvingprogressive
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are approvingprogressive
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is approvingprogressive
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have been approvingperfect progressive
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has been approvingperfect progressive
Past
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approvedsimple
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had approvedperfect
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was approvingprogressive
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were approvingprogressive
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had been approvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of approve
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 ”
Explanation
When you take your new love to meet your parents, you hope that they approve of your choice in partners, but when your date starts eating with his hands at dinner, chances are pretty slim. Approve was first used like to mean "prove" or "show"––think, "The proof is in the pudding." Now, approve means to officially agree. You might need the principal to sign off on, or approve, any purchase of new materials for the classroom. Congress can also approve a bill or budget in this way. It’s important to remember that, like apple and appropriate, approve is spelled with a double “p.”
Vocabulary lists containing approve
List 7
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 21–August 27, 2021
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 1–October 7, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If regulators approve those increases, it would be the second year in a row that premiums rose by double digits.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
He has said previously that he will hold off on making a decision about whether to approve Blanche until after the hearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
MPs are expected to approve the long-delayed 'Hillsborough Law' later, in a bid to prevent cover-ups linked to failures of the state.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Fain retaliated against Boyer after Boyer declined to approve the bonus for the training center staff, the monitor said in the June 25 report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
I am not at all sure she’d approve of that, either.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
The owners of the Jackdaw gas platform in the North Sea say it is "hyper critical" that the UK government approves production to avoid the risk of domestic supply shortages this winter.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
The seven-member board approves the appointment and reappointment of the regional presidents who help set interest rates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
If S&P Dow Jones Indices approves the rules under consideration, they will go into effect a few days before SpaceX is expected to begin trading.
From MarketWatch ● May 29, 2026
ServiceNow serves as the system that governs, routes, approves, and audits activity across organizations, making displacement costly and complex, the analyst team added.
From Barron's ● May 18, 2026
He does not hunt elephants anymore—he approves of the current worldwide ban on ivory—but he does hunt Cape buffalo, which is not an endangered species.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
Rhapsido, a treatment for chronic rashes that was approved in the US last September and then in the European Union at the end of April, has already generated $64 million in sales, Novartis said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
However, a department spokeswoman said leadership of the Criminal Division approved of the arrests, and State Department officials gave their signoff.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The projects "HyKaPro SAB-EFRE" and "Plasma4PFAS SAB-EFRE" are co-financed by the European Union and tax revenue as approved by the Saxon Parliament in its state budget.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
On Sunday, the city said in its statement that it had approved a leave of absence for Forbes during that Thursday meeting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Terribly frustrating, the way the Nazis jam the airways so that the German people can only listen to broadcasts approved by the Nazis.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The proposal, which will likely be finalized later this year, outlines a set of factors for employers to consider before approving investments.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
In charter cities, the measure would prevent voters from approving any real estate transfer taxes beyond the state’s existing rate of 0.11% of a property’s sale price.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
American regulators have taken a tough stance on approving licences for new products such as vapes, delaying launches.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
All signs point to Real Asset Acquisition shareholders approving the transaction next week.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
By day she embroidered, read, or painted insipid watercolors around the house, under Nana’s approving glance, now that she could finally sleep in peace.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
