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definitions

approval

[ uh-proo-vuh l ]
/ əˈpru vəl /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR approval ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of approving; approbation.
formal permission or sanction.
Philately. one of a group of selected stamps sent by a dealer to a prospective customer for examination and either purchase or return.

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RELATED WORDS

sanction, confirmation, license, permission, mandate, consent, support, recommendation, ratification, go-ahead, endorsement, blessing, okay, concurrence, compliance, assent, leave, countenance, acquiescence, validation

Nearby words

  1. appropriable,
  2. appropriacy,
  3. appropriate,
  4. appropriation,
  5. approvable,
  6. approve,
  7. approved,
  8. approved school,
  9. approved social worker,
  10. approver

Idioms

    on approval, without obligation to buy unless satisfactory to the customer upon trial or examination and, otherwise, returnable: We ship merchandise on approval.

Origin of approval

First recorded in 1680–90; approve + -al2
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for approval

British Dictionary definitions for approval

approval

/ (əˈpruːvəl) /

noun

the act of approving
formal agreement; sanction
a favourable opinion; commendation
on approval (of articles for sale) for examination with an option to buy or return
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
Word Origin and History for approval

approval

n.

1680s, from approve + -al (2). According to OED, "Rare bef. 1800; now generally used instead of" approvance (1590s, from French aprovance).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with approval

approval

see on approval; seal of approval.

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