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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.

But the change never got the required federal approval so the extension was moot.

From Los Angeles Times

Vaccine maker shares decline after the FDA indicate stricter approval rules.

From Barron's

Planning officials in the Borders are recommending proposals for Scotland's first Center Parcs holiday village are given approval.

From BBC

Sheep and goat farmers in Thessaly are calling for approval of mass vaccination of their herds, which they say is how the problem is tackled in Bulgaria and Turkey.

From BBC

It took time for the approval ratings to climb back to their previous levels – but eventually they did, reaching 75% by 2012.

From BBC

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.