sanction

American  

[sangk-shuhn] / ˈsæŋk ʃən /

noun

• sanctions
  plural

1. 

   authoritative permission or approval, as for an action.

   Synonyms:

   authorization

   Antonyms:

   prohibition, interdiction

2. something that serves to support an action, condition, etc.

3. something that gives binding force, as to an oath, rule of conduct, etc.

4. Law.

   1. a provision of a law enacting a penalty for disobedience or a reward for obedience.

   2. the penalty or reward.

5. International Law. action by one or more states toward another state calculated to force it to comply with legal obligations.

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verb (used with object)

• sanctions,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sanctioned,
  past participle,  past
• sanctioning
  present participle

1. to authorize, approve, or allow.

   an expression now sanctioned by educated usage.

   Synonyms:

   permit

   Antonyms:

   deny

2. to ratify or confirm.

   to sanction a law.

3. to impose a sanction on; penalize, especially by way of discipline.

sanction British  

/ ˈsæŋkʃən /

noun

1. final permission; authorization

2. aid or encouragement

3. something, such as an ethical principle, that imparts binding force to a rule, oath, etc

4. the penalty laid down in a law for contravention of its provisions

5. (often plural) a coercive measure, esp one taken by one or more states against another guilty of violating international law

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verb

1. to give authority to; permit

2. to make authorized; confirm

Usage

What does sanction mean? Sanction has two main senses that are almost opposites: it can refer to authorizing or approving something, or to penalizing or disciplining someone or something. Sanction can be used as a verb (meaning to authorize or to penalize) or a noun (meaning approval or penalty). It is most commonly used in official contexts. As a noun referring to a penalty, it is especially applied to situations in which one country’s government imposes economic sanctions on another to try to force it to comply with laws or certain expectations. Example: Economic sanctions are intended to force regimes to play by the rules, but they often end up hurting the average citizen.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsanction
  noun
• sanctioner
  noun
• resanction
  verb (used with object)
• supersanction
  verb (used with object)
• sanctionable
  adjective
• sanctionative
  adjective
• sanctionless
  adjective
• unsanctionable
  adjective
• unsanctioning
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sanctions
  plural

Participles

• sanctioning
  present
• sanctioned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sanction
  simple
• sanctions
  simple
• have sanctioned
  perfect
• has sanctioned
  perfect
• am sanctioning
  progressive
• are sanctioning
  progressive
• is sanctioning
  progressive
• have been sanctioning
  perfect progressive
• has been sanctioning
  perfect progressive

Past

• sanctioned
  simple
• had sanctioned
  perfect
• was sanctioning
  progressive
• were sanctioning
  progressive
• had been sanctioning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sanction
  simple
• will have sanctioned
  perfect
• will be sanctioning
  progressive
• will have been sanctioning
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of sanction

First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin sānctiōn- (stem of sānctiō ), equivalent to sānct(us) (past participle of sancīre “to prescribe by law”) + -iōn- noun suffix; see -ion

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Explanation

Sanction has two nearly opposite meanings: to sanction can be to approve of something, but it can also mean to punish, or speak harshly to. Likewise, a sanction can be a punishment or approval. Very confusing — the person who invented this word should be publicly sanctioned! See if you can guess the meaning of sanction in the following contexts. Before invading Iraq, the U.S. and its allies first imposed sanctions on the country, refusing to supply the country with much-needed trade items. Did you guess that sanction = "punishment"? You were right! But by trading with China at the same time, the U.S. quietly sanctioned that nation's known instances of human rights abuses. Did you guess that sanction = "approval"? You're right again!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sanction sanctions sanctioned sanctioning

Rabjerg Madsen also noted that in the country one in three inspections resulted in a sanction, showing "that we have general problems when it comes to animal welfare."

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Bank of America will pay $1.2 billion in penalties to settle violations of anti-money laundering and sanction laws.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

No sanction has yet been announced but City could face substantial points deductions, a fine or even expulsion from the Premier League.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

It is exacerbated by doubts that the whole process - including an appeal against the sanction - is not guaranteed to be completed by the end of the season.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

I found a sanction from our work, for I thought I had finally found my truest place in the culture.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

Cryptocurrency heists have become North Korea’s most lucrative and vital revenue stream, replacing exports of coal and textiles that have been crippled by global sanctions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Join us for a discussion of the latest developments in sanctions, export controls, investment screening and international trade compliance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

In a statement to Reuters, DR Congo foreign ministry welcomed the sanctions and urged Rwanda to honour its commitments under the Washington Accords, respect the UN Charter and withdraw its troops from Congolese territory.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

"The fact that there are sanctions establishes the fact that there have been violations."

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

The European Community had already begun to scale back sanctions.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

The US also sanctioned Zigama Credit and Savings Society, a popular bank and financial institution serving Rwanda's security services.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Polar’s project required convincing the Treasury Department to give it a license to buy the infrastructure from a sanctioned entity, Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

Allowing sanctioned tankers into the regular shipping market could help lower freight rates, although the amount of additional capacity and how quickly it could become available remain uncertain, the bank said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

The Milan clashes began Saturday on the sidelines of a sanctioned demonstration against the high cost of living.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026

Twenty states rewarded individual schools for good test scores or dramatic improvement; thirty-two states sanctioned the schools that didn’t do well.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

The sanctioning hearing, which will determine the level of punishment City must face, is yet to be scheduled.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

That allowed them to negotiate with the Premier League and reach a sanctioning agreement.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

Treasury on Tuesday intensified pressure by sanctioning intermediaries that helped Mahan Air buy at least three secondhand Boeing B-777s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

He announced that the U.S. is sanctioning more than 60 entities, individuals and vessels across the globe that enable Iran to procure technology, earn oil revenue and carry out cyber operations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

The German Government, by sanctioning this sale of explosive material to its enemies, gave evidence of its earnest desire to stand well with Chile.

From South America and the War by F. A. (Frederick Alexander) Kirkpatrick

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Related Words

• accredit
• allow
• approve
• certify
• empower
• endorse
• permit
• ratify
• warrant

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