entitle
Americanverb (used with object)
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entitles,
present (3rd person singular)
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entitled,
past participle, past
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entitling
present participle
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to give (a person or thing) a title, right, or claim to something; furnish with grounds for laying claim.
His executive position entitled him to certain courtesies rarely accorded others.
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to call by a particular title or name.
What was the book entitled?
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to designate (a person) by an honorary title.
verb
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to give (a person) the right to do or have something; qualify; allow
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to give a name or title to
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to confer a title of rank or honour upon
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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entitlesimple
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entitlessimple
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have entitledperfect
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has entitledperfect
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am entitlingprogressive
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are entitlingprogressive
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is entitlingprogressive
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have been entitlingperfect progressive
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has been entitlingperfect progressive
Past
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entitledsimple
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had entitledperfect
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was entitlingprogressive
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were entitlingprogressive
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had been entitlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of entitle
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English entitlen, from Anglo-French entitler, variant of Middle French entituler, from Late Latin intitulāre; see en- 1, title
Explanation
Use the verb entitle to mean "give a right to." At some schools, being a senior might entitle students to go out for lunch on Fridays. The most common use of entitle is the one you might see on a coupon, like one for a free ride at the state fair that entitles the holder to one free ride on the Octopus of Terror. When you entitle someone, you give them a claim to something, like when you entitle someone the best goalie in Canada, or make someone a member of the noble class, like when the Queen entitles, or gives a title to, a worthy person.
Vocabulary lists containing entitle
Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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The Bluest Eye
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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:
Disruption caused by things like conflict – but also bad weather, strikes by airport or air traffic control staff, or other "extraordinary circumstances" – does not entitle you to extra compensation.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Just following this process would entitle employers’ decisions to “significant deference” from the courts — a “safe harbor,” or legal shield, meant to guard those decisions from challenge.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Current labor agreements entitle workers to double pay if they operate an electric and diesel vehicle, or work both in a rail yard and on an active train, in the same shift.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
A minimum investment gets you a certificate of ownership; other levels entitle owners to unique merchandise such as scarves, a round of golf with a player or a dinner with the manager.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2025
“Does your battle for liberty entitle you to search through the private linens of a lady?”
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Whether that entitles him to the money is less cut and dried, attorneys say.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Each $2 token entitles you to a $1 position in the debt offering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Sinn Féin is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly which entitles it to more ministerial positions on the executive and also the office of first minister.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2026
The courts have established that making a charitable gift is a protected free speech activity that entitles donors to certain privacy rights.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025
“I didn’t think you did. I said, ‘In many states a hunting license entitles you to one deer and no more.
From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel
That petition explicitly tied the demand to Reiner’s looming murder trial, saying he was entitled to “mount his defense with the resources that are lawfully his own.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Investors are entitled to read a large backlog as a positive signal, but they should price it as a range of outcomes rather than as revenue that has already happened,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
"From Monday, they will be entitled to an absolute world-leading set of standards that we will build on over time," he added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Fans are entitled then to a refund, but many are discovering that getting one can take weeks to months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
We are entitled to feel at home in Boyle’s universe, even if it is a mechanical apparatus; it is not clear that an immortal, immaterial soul has any business feeling at home in Descartes’ universe.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
A pasta PSA: After a yearslong hiatus, Olive Garden is selling 10,000 Never-Ending Pasta Passes on Thursday, entitling buyers to 13 weeks of unlimited pasta, soup, salad, and breadsticks.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
In addition to the cash consideration, Theravance shareholders will receive contingent value rights entitling them to 80% of net proceeds from any future license, divestiture or other monetization of ampreloxetine within the next 10 years.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
People must pay £1 per year to join, and spending £5 at the store enables them to choose 12 items, with £7.50 entitling them to 18 items.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
“By entitling two options, we will be better positioned to ensure that we can deliver a viable project at this site once all approvals have been secured.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2024
There at another desk I was handed a railway pass entitling me to transportation through Germany to the Dutch border.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
