approve
Americanverb (used with object)
-
approves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
approved,
past participle, past
-
approving
present participle
-
to speak or think favorably of; pronounce or consider agreeable or good; judge favorably.
to approve the policies of the administration.
- Synonyms:
- esteem, appreciate
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to consent or agree to.
Father approved our plan to visit Chicago.
-
to confirm or sanction formally; ratify.
The Senate promptly approved the bill.
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Obsolete.
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to demonstrate; show.
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to make good; attest.
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to prove by trial.
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to convict.
-
verb (used without object)
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approves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
approved,
past participle, past
-
approving
present participle
verb
-
to consider fair, good, or right; commend (a person or thing)
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(tr) to authorize or sanction
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obsolete (tr) to demonstrate or prove by trial
verb
Synonym Usage
Approve, commend, praise mean to have, and usually to express, a favorable opinion. To approve is to have a very good opinion, expressed or not, of someone or something: He approved the new plan. To commend is to speak or write approvingly, often formally and publicly, to congratulate or honor for something done: to commend a worker for a job well done. To praise is to speak or write, often in glowing and emotional terms, about one or more persons, actions, plans, etc.: to praise someone's courage.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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approvednessnoun
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preapprovverb
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reapproveverb
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nonapprovedadjective
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self-approvedadjective
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self-approvingadjective
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unapprovedadjective
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unapprovingadjective
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well-approvedadjective
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approvedlyadverb
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approvinglyadverb
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unapprovinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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approvesimple
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approvessimple
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have approvedperfect
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has approvedperfect
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am approvingprogressive
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are approvingprogressive
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is approvingprogressive
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have been approvingperfect progressive
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has been approvingperfect progressive
Past
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approvedsimple
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had approvedperfect
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was approvingprogressive
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were approvingprogressive
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had been approvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of approve
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English a(p)proven, from Anglo-French, Old French aprover, from Latin approbāre, equivalent to ap- ap- 1 + probāre “to prove ”
Explanation
When you take your new love to meet your parents, you hope that they approve of your choice in partners, but when your date starts eating with his hands at dinner, chances are pretty slim. Approve was first used like to mean "prove" or "show"––think, "The proof is in the pudding." Now, approve means to officially agree. You might need the principal to sign off on, or approve, any purchase of new materials for the classroom. Congress can also approve a bill or budget in this way. It’s important to remember that, like apple and appropriate, approve is spelled with a double “p.”
Vocabulary lists containing approve
List 7
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 21–August 27, 2021
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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.
See Examples For:
Investors are nervous that Marvell would have to pay a big premium — and wait a while for China to approve any deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Read: Medicare is using AI to approve claims.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
A judge would still have to approve the terms of any settlement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
US President Donald Trump has praised Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the UK government's decision to approve production from the North Sea's Jackdaw gas field.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
The widow is unsure about marrying him but seems inclined to do so anyway—unless she knows for a fact that her dear dead husband, Edward Ashton, would not approve.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
"No one approves" of the letter, Neto said as he left the meeting, adding that the party needed to "move forward."
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
If a majority of county voters approves Charter Amendment A, it will cover 14 bargaining units representing some 16,500 county workers, among them lifeguards and deputy medical examiners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
The council simply approves the application - it does not have to pay for it.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
“Our local police department further reviews and approves each stop on the map to ensure everyone’s safety.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
“Come on—she obviously approves of you for Jeremy,” Tats says.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
PLS Group approved a $1.3 billion project to double production capacity at its Pilgangoora mine in Western Australia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Among the definitions of impeachable conduct provisionally approved early in the Constitutional Convention were “treason, bribery, or corruption” and then “treason or bribery.”
From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026
And recently, the authority’s inspector general reported that the authority approved hundreds of thousands of dollars in wasteful travel expenses for four consulting firms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
In September the UN Security Council approved a six-month extension of the mandate for the GSF, emphasizing "the importance of ensuring security conditions conducive to holding free and fair elections."
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Mrs. Laurencin never approved of that answer either.
From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg
CEQA, which dates to the 1970s, requires state and local agencies to consider the environmental effects of many proposed projects before approving them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Two-thirds of departments now use AI agents in some form, and 17% let them act without a person approving each step.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, is a state law from 1970 that requires state and local agencies to evaluate the environmental impact of proposed projects before approving them.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Raman voted for three city budgets that funded the program, approving $300 million in 2023 alone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Trub places his hand on top of my head and gives my brain an approving squeeze.
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
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