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
Derived 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.
Any modifications to high school course requirements would also need approval from regents.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
The Energy Department approval relates to Aurora’s preliminary documented safety analysis, a review of the reactor’s safety controls, design, and hazard management.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
When RuPaul arrives as President Judy Gagwell, tasked with saving the train or seeing her approval ratings plummet, the script begins to sing . . . just before it sinks.
From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026
Olivier Picard, Chair of the National Pharmacy Association called the approval of the pill "significant", adding that it could help patients who are unable or do not wish to take the injectable version.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
All Ekon had ever wanted was the respect and approval of his people; he’d gotten it tenfold.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
