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.
Around 2,000 hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles voted to authorize a strike, with 96% approval, union officials said Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
But when the vote came, the Commissioners Court tabled the temporary moratorium discussion and voted to grant Comanche Circle a conditional approval, requiring more detailed plans later.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
Nonetheless, Ellison and his team have vowed to make $6 billion in cuts following the merger, which requires regulatory approval.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
Paramount is seeking government approval for its $111 billion bid for Warner Bros.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
“Good,” said the chief seamstress, and the other five had nodded, a synchronized swimming team of flinty approval.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
