warrant

[ wawr-uhnt, wor- ]
See synonyms for: warrantwarrantedwarrantingwarrants on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. authorization, sanction, or justification.

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

  1. 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.

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

  3. 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.

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

  5. a warehouse receipt.

  6. a written authorization for the payment or receipt of money: a treasury warrant.

verb (used with object)
  1. to give authority to; authorize.

  2. to give reason or sanction for; account for: The circumstances warrant such measures.

  1. to give one's word for; vouch for (often used with a clause to emphasize something asserted): I'll warrant he did!

  2. 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.

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

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

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

Origin of warrant

1
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

Other words for warrant

Other words from warrant

  • war·rant·less, adjective
  • pre·war·rant, noun, verb (used with object)
  • re·war·rant, verb (used with object)
  • self-war·rant·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use warrant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for warrant

warrant

/ (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

  1. 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

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

  3. 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

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

  2. to give authority or power to

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

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

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

  4. to declare boldly and confidently

Origin of warrant

1
C13: from Anglo-French warrant, variant of Old French guarant, from guarantir to guarantee, of Germanic origin; compare guaranty

Derived forms of warrant

  • warrantable, adjective
  • warrantability, noun
  • warrantably, adverb
  • warranter, noun
  • warrantless, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with warrant

warrant

see sign one's own death warrant.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.