warrant

American  

[wawr-uhnt, wor-] / ˈwɔr ənt, ˈwɒr- /

noun

1. authorization, sanction, or justification.

2. something that serves to give reliable or formal assurance of something; guarantee, pledge, or security.

   Synonyms:

   surety, warranty

3. something considered as having the force of a guarantee or as being positive assurance of a thing.

   The cavalry and artillery were considered sure warrants of success.

4. a writing or document certifying or authorizing something, as a receipt, license, or commission.

   Synonyms:

   chit, order, writ, voucher, permit

5. Law. an instrument, issued by a magistrate, authorizing an officer to make an arrest, seize property, make a search, or carry a judgment into execution.

6. the certificate of authority or appointment issued to an officer of the armed forces below the rank of a commissioned officer.

7. a warehouse receipt.

8. a written authorization for the payment or receipt of money.

   a treasury warrant.

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verb (used with object)

warrants, present (3rd person singular) warranted, past participle, past warranting present participle

1. to give authority to; authorize.

2. to give reason or sanction for; account for.

   The circumstances warrant such measures.

   Synonyms:

   vindicate, validate, uphold, justify

3. to give one's word for; vouch for (often used with a clause to emphasize something asserted).

   I'll warrant he did!

   Synonyms:

   swear, attest, guarantee

4. to give a formal assurance, or a guarantee or promise, to or for; guarantee.

   to warrant someone honorable treatment; to warrant payment; to warrant safe delivery.

5. to guarantee the quantity, quality, and other representations of (an article, product, etc.), as to a purchaser.

6. to guarantee or secure title to (the purchaser of goods); assure indemnification against loss to.

7. Law. to guarantee title of an estate or other granted property (to a grantee).

warrant British  

/ ˈwɒrənt /

noun

1. anything that gives authority for an action or decision; authorization; sanction

2. a document that certifies or guarantees, such as a receipt for goods stored in a warehouse, a licence, or a commission

3. law an authorization issued by a magistrate or other official allowing a constable or other officer to search or seize property, arrest a person, or perform some other specified act

4. (in certain armed services) the official authority for the appointment of warrant officers

5. a security that functions as a stock option by giving the owner the right to buy ordinary shares in a company at a specified date, often at a specified price

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verb

1. to guarantee the quality, condition, etc, of (something)

2. to give authority or power to

3. to attest to or assure the character, worthiness, etc, of

4. to guarantee (a purchaser of merchandise) against loss of, damage to, or misrepresentation concerning the merchandise

5. law to guarantee (the title to an estate or other property)

6. to declare boldly and confidently

warrant Idioms  

1. see sign one's own death warrant.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-warranting
  adjective
• warranter
  noun
• warrantless
  adjective
• warrantable
  adjective
• warrantably
  adverb
• rewarrant
  verb (used with object)
• warrantability
  noun
• prewarrant
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have warranted
  perfect
• has warranted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are warranting
  progressive
• is warranting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been warranting
  perfect progressive
• am warranting
  progressive 1st person singular
• has been warranting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• warranting
  participle
• warrants
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had warranted
  perfect
• were warranting
  progressive plural
• had been warranting
  perfect progressive
• was warranting
  progressive singular
• warranted
  participle
• warranted
  simple

Future

• will warrant
  simple
• will have warranted
  perfect
• will have been warranting
  perfect progressive
• will be warranting
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of warrant

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English warant, from Anglo-French; Old French guarant, from Germanic; compare Middle Low German warend, warent “warranty,” noun use of present participle of waren “to warrant”; (verb) Middle English, from Anglo-French warantir; Old French g(u)arantir, derivative of guarant; see guaranty

Explanation

If you watch cop shows, you know that a warrant is something police need to get into your house — a permission slip from a judge. It's a noun! It's a verb! It's a word that warrants our attention! As a noun, it's the piece of paper they show you through the keyhole during an investigation. It's also a reason for doing something, or a promise (think of the warranty on your new car, the promise that it'll work for a certain amount of time). As a verb, it means to make something seem reasonable or necessary, such as when the ticking suitcase warrants bringing in the bomb squad, or when the teenager's sneaking in late again warrants a stricter curfew.

Example Sentences

However, police had nine months to execute the warrant.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

In 1607, a fugitive painter named Caravaggio arrived in Malta on the run from a murder warrant in Rome.

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026

The judge threatened to issue a warrant for his arrest if he didn’t make it to the courthouse within the hour, leading Jackson’s team to speed there at 90 mph.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

The appearance of consciousness in large language models is not achieved in a way that is sufficiently similar to us to warrant attribution of conscious states.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026

Once upon a time, it was generally understood that the police could not stop and search someone without a warrant unless there was probable cause to believe that the individual was engaged in criminal activity.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

• accreditation
• certificate
• credential
• license
• passport
• permission
• permit
• pledge
• sanction
• subpoena
• summons
• ticket