authorization
Americannoun
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authorizations
plural
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the act of authorizing.
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a legislative act authorizing money to be spent for government programs that specifies a maximum spending level without provision for actual funds.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of authorization
Explanation
Authorization is an official form of approval for something. You'll probably need to get authorization from the owner of a coffee shop before you hang your oil paintings on the walls. People in control are known as authorities, and their official okay, or authorization, gives you the ability to do something. The authorization of a loan means the bank grants the loan. Authorization can also refer to someone's power — if you are able to fire people, you have the authorization to do so. At the root of authorization is the verb authorize, which comes from the Latin auctor, "master or leader," or "one who causes to grow."
Vocabulary lists containing authorization
The Other Side
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 18–September 24, 2021
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"CLEP Financial Accounting," Vocabulary from Chapter 8
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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:
The DHS statement addressed the issue: “To be clear, work authorization or a pending application do NOT confer legal status in the United States.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Administrators have been able to adjust to those departures, including reinstating one worker who was able to regain employment authorization, Lavender said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Drug companies that price their medicines consistently below the threshold could ensure patients have unfettered access to their drugs, meaning no prior authorization, while those that price above that threshold would jeopardize their patent protection.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
"What it does mean is that the Defendants may not do so during the district court's expeditious litigation without securing Congress's authorization, as the Constitution and laws require," the order said.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
"She didn't have proper authorization," said the Warden.
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
Moorings Park Communities, a luxury senior-living development in Naples, lost seven TPS holders whose work authorizations recently expired, said Chief Executive Daniel Lavender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The OIG report was based on 2024 data, and since then plans have voluntarily removed many prior authorizations, Donahue noted.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
The terminations took effect in the fall, with those who had work authorizations until October 2026 permitted to keep them.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2026
TPS protects foreign nationals from removal and grants work authorizations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
He had full authorizations and passports, and was going about his business in a perfectly proper manner.
From Korea's Fight for Freedom by F. A. (Frederick Arthur) Mckenzie
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.
