authorization

American  

[aw-ther-uh-zey-shuhn] / ˌɔ θər əˈzeɪ ʃən /

especially British, authorisation

noun

• authorizations
  plural

1. the act of authorizing.

2. permission or power granted by an authority; sanction.

3. a legislative act authorizing money to be spent for government programs that specifies a maximum spending level without provision for actual funds.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• deauthorization
  noun
• misauthorization
  noun
• preauthorization
  noun
• reauthorization
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• authorizations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of authorization

First recorded in 1600–10; authorize + -ation

Explanation

Authorization is an official form of approval for something. You'll probably need to get authorization from the owner of a coffee shop before you hang your oil paintings on the walls. People in control are known as authorities, and their official okay, or authorization, gives you the ability to do something. The authorization of a loan means the bank grants the loan. Authorization can also refer to someone's power — if you are able to fire people, you have the authorization to do so. At the root of authorization is the verb authorize, which comes from the Latin auctor, "master or leader," or "one who causes to grow."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

authorization authorizations

Drug companies that price their medicines consistently below the threshold could ensure patients have unfettered access to their drugs, meaning no prior authorization, while those that price above that threshold would jeopardize their patent protection.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Meta Platforms, Anthropic and OpenAI each disclosed incidents in which their models escaped testing environments and acted on the live internet without authorization.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

"What it does mean is that the Defendants may not do so during the district court's expeditious litigation without securing Congress's authorization, as the Constitution and laws require," the order said.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

"What it does mean is that the Defendants may not do so during the district court's expeditious litigation without securing Congress's authorization, as the Constitution and laws require."

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

"She didn't have proper authorization," said the Warden.

From "Holes" by Louis Sachar

They do this by employing the tried-and-true tactics of the insurance industry of unjustifiable bureaucratic decisions, superpowered by artificial intelligence: prior authorizations, unnecessary delays, claim denials, unreasonable reimbursements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Doctors and forensic experts in the port examined bodies under tarpaulins held up by four poles before issuing death certificates and cremation authorizations.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

The terminations took effect in the fall, with those who had work authorizations until October 2026 permitted to keep them.

From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2026

TPS protects foreign nationals from removal and grants work authorizations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

The appropriations needed to liquidate contract authorizations are estimated at 1,113 million dollars.

From State of the Union Address by Harry S. Truman

Related Words

• approval
• authority
• endorsement
• green light
• sanction
• signature