approval
Americannoun
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the act of approving; approbation.
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formal permission or sanction.
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Philately. one of a group of selected stamps sent by a dealer to a prospective customer for examination and either purchase or return.
idioms
noun
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the act of approving
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formal agreement; sanction
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a favourable opinion; commendation
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(of articles for sale) for examination with an option to buy or return
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of approval
Explanation
Approval is a formal agreement. It's probably not a good idea to mail the invitations for your beach party until you've gotten official approval for the enormous bonfire you're planning to light. Building designs, budgets, grant applications — these all require official approval before they can be put into effect. You can also use the word approval to talk about less formal permission, like a teacher's approval of your plan to buy pizza for the whole class. Approval also means the belief that something is good, like your approval of your neighbor's purple house. Until 1800, it was much more common for people to use the word approvance to mean the same thing.
Vocabulary lists containing approval
Face It: Selfie Vocab
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 9–October 15, 2021
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Catching Fire
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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.
SpaceX acknowledged the arrangement poses risks for outside investors, noting that Musk "will have the power to control the outcome of matters requiring shareholder approval, including election of all our directors."
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
In remarks that aired after he left Beijing last week, Trump said a $14 billion package of U.S. arms for Taiwan that awaits his approval is “a very good negotiating chip” with China.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
Talks ended with 20-plus agreements on trade and tech, but no approval yet for the stalled Russian gas pipeline that Putin has been pushing for years.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
That followed Tesla investors’ approval for that company to also move its headquarters from California to Texas, which stemmed from Musk’s feud with California officials over COVID-era restrictions in 2020.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
In response, his stomach offered a gurgle of approval.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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.
