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Synonyms

approval

American  
[uh-proo-vuhl] / əˈpru vəl /

noun

  1. the act of approving; approbation.

  2. formal permission or sanction.

  3. Philately. one of a group of selected stamps sent by a dealer to a prospective customer for examination and either purchase or return.

idioms

  1. on approval, without obligation to buy unless satisfactory to the customer upon trial or examination and, otherwise, returnable.

    We ship merchandise on approval.
approval British  
/ əˈpruːvəl /

noun

  1. the act of approving

  2. formal agreement; sanction

  3. a favourable opinion; commendation

  4. (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
approval More Idioms  

  1. see on approval; seal of approval.

Other Word Forms

  • nonapproval noun
  • preapproval noun
  • proapproval adjective
  • reapproval noun
  • self-approval noun

Etymology

Origin of approval

First recorded in 1680–90; approve + -al 2

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.

Block Communications sold its TV station broadcast group for $80 million pending regulatory approval.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Regulatory shortcuts exist that would allow the FDA to skip the more laborious approval process.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

In a statement sent to the BBC, a defence ministry spokesman confirmed that males aged 17 and older were required to obtain prior approval for stays abroad lasting longer than three months.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Eli Lilly won U.S. approval for an anti-obesity pill and signed a $2.75 billion deal with Insilico Medicine, a Hong Kong drug developer that employs artificial intelligence.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Smithy ate the lamb and nodded in approval.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

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.