approve
Americanverb (used with object)
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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.
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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.
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verb (used without object)
verb
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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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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 1–October 7, 2022
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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:
The US legal proceedings are being watched in the United Kingdom and European Union, where regulators have yet to approve the deal.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
They had already waited four agonizing days for Venezuela’s bureaucracy to approve permits for them to enter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Regents will approve or reject any recommended changes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Shortly after, OpenAI agreed to let the government approve every customer for its newest model, GPT-5.6.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Some of the president’s advisors even recommended that he approve suffrage as a war measure so that the protests would stop.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
Parents know exactly what they can and can’t buy, and every purchase runs through one of three channels the state Education Department reviews and approves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
This software then rejects or approves adverts, escalating cases for human review when it is uncertain.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Your children do not own the assets directly, and it’s basically treated as income/pocket money for them to spend in ways that the trustee approves.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
Once the DGA National Board approves the new contract, it will be sent to its members for a ratification vote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
He approves for now, but he wants to make sure that I'm happy.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
Those companies previously needed licenses approved by the Commerce Department to export chips needed to run AI models, a laborious process that can take months and is frequently delayed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Yet, over the same period, the share of claims the SSA approved fell to 36% in fiscal year 2025 from 38.7% in fiscal year 2024.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
In 2018, California voters approved Proposition 7, which was supposed to give the Legislature the authority to impose year-round daylight saving time — but only if the federal government allowed states to do so.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
On Monday, people in Guernsey protested a proposed 3% GST which is due to be debated this week and, if approved, introduced from 2028.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Sulzberger, after all the back and forth, had approved publication of Sheehan’s stories.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
The proposal, which will likely be finalized later this year, outlines a set of factors for employers to consider before approving investments.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
In charter cities, the measure would prevent voters from approving any real estate transfer taxes beyond the state’s existing rate of 0.11% of a property’s sale price.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
When one of China's biggest stand-up comedians opened his show with a joke about the extraordinarily long rule of the country's leader Xi Jinping, it drew a cheer, alongside a smattering of approving profanities.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Prosecutors allege Finkelstein continued approving tests in the same manner after learning of the death while his companies continued billing insurers for the screenings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
I hadn’t even noticed I was playing the solo- break part, but I must have nailed it, because Mr. W. was smiling and Annette gave me a little approving nod.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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.
