authorize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to give authority or official power to; empower.
to authorize an employee to sign purchase orders.
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to give authority for; formally sanction (an act or proceeding).
Congress authorized the new tax on tobacco.
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to establish by authority or usage.
an arrangement long authorized by etiquette books.
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to afford a ground for; warrant; justify.
verb
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to confer authority upon (someone to do something); empower
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to permit (someone to do or be something) with official sanction
a dealer authorized by a manufacturer to retail his products
Other Word Forms
- authorizable adjective
- authorization noun
- authorizer noun
- deauthorize verb (used with object)
- misauthorize verb (used with object)
- preauthorize verb (used with object)
- reauthorize verb (used with object)
- self-authorizing adjective
Etymology
Origin of authorize
1350–1400; earlier auctorize < Medieval Latin auctōrizāre; replacing Middle English autorisen < Middle French autoriser < Medieval Latin See author, -ize
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.
Scientists at the agency are hesitant to authorize the products due to potential risks to children and new users, the report said.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
The US Treasury Department separately issued a license Wednesday to authorize certain transactions between established US entities and Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA.
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
Treasury Department said it would authorize until April 11 the delivery and sale of crude and petroleum products from Russia that have already been loaded onto vessels at sea.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026
That was one of the things that helped to authorize more than $250 million in federal money for demolitions in Detroit, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars across the United States.
From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026
We debated the housing situation, the best means of forcing the city to authorize open hearings on conditions among Negroes.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
