authorization

American  

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

especially British, authorisation

noun

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.

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Other Word Forms

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

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

In 2022, the Park Service notified company officials that the mine was operating without authorization and demanded that it cease work until it submitted an operations plan and won the agency’s approval, those documents state.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Last month, the Treasury Department issued a short-term authorization permitting the sale of Iranian oil already at sea.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

The agency this year launched a pilot program to require prior authorization in traditional Medicare for treatments that are especially vulnerable to fraud.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

American, which received a US Department of Transportation authorization in early March, said it was continuing to work with authorities in both countries.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

We had said to ourselves, We won’t be like everyone else, those people who packed up and went north without waiting first for the proper authorization.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

Related Words

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