authorize
Americanverb (used with object)
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authorizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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authorized,
past participle, past
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authorizing
present participle
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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
Derived Forms
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authorizationnoun
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authorizernoun
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deauthorizeverb (used with object)
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misauthorizeverb (used with object)
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preauthorizeverb (used with object)
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reauthorizeverb (used with object)
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authorizableadjective
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self-authorizingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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authorizesimple
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authorizessimple
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have authorizedperfect
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has authorizedperfect
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am authorizingprogressive
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are authorizingprogressive
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is authorizingprogressive
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have been authorizingperfect progressive
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has been authorizingperfect progressive
Past
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authorizedsimple
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had authorizedperfect
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was authorizingprogressive
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were authorizingprogressive
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had been authorizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of authorize
1350–1400; earlier auctorize < Medieval Latin auctōrizāre; replacing Middle English autorisen < Middle French autoriser < Medieval Latin See author, -ize
Explanation
To authorize is to give official approval or clearance for something. Authorizing can also delegate power to someone. Authorities are people with power, and to authorize is to use or grant some of that power to another. A visa authorizes you to visit a specific country. A search warrant authorizes the police to search a house. A doctor's note authorizes someone to miss work or school. Also, authorizing can be a form of delegating powers or responsibilities. The president of a company could authorize a worker to make a particular decision. Authorizing officially allows something to happen.
Vocabulary lists containing authorize
Quartering Act (1765)
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 1–January 7, 2022
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Maryland Toleration Act (1649)
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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:
Proposition 38 would authorize the state to issue $8.4 billion in bonds to fund immunology and immunotherapy research to uncover treatments that help the immune system fight diseases such as cancer more effectively.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The sample is from JMSN’s song “Love Me,” who said on X that he did not authorize license of the song.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
In doing so, Amazon said it wasn’t made aware in advance that Muse would be accessing its store and that it didn’t authorize such action.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Ads will invite individuals to speak on the phone with a hired “healthcare professional” who will rubber-stamp a prescription and authorize the compounded medication to be shipped directly to the unwitting patient.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
It was in 1956 that Mr. Muhammad was able to authorize Temple Seven to buy and assign for my use a new Chevrolet.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
The law, which went into effect immediately, also authorizes the state tax agency to impose tax liability on individual members of a business.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The proclamation also authorizes the commerce secretary to establish an onshoring program for companies making new investments in manufacturing drones and drone components, in line with the administration’s push to bolster national defense industries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
By contrast, the Constitution explicitly authorizes Congress to establish federal agencies and define the scope of their mandate.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
Environmentalists legally challenged the new regulation, which authorizes provincial governments to redefine protected areas as a way to expand mining activity.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
It also says the Bishop of Jerusalem of the Arab Episcopal Church authorizes it.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
TotalEnergies also said its board authorized share buybacks of $2.5 billion for the fourth quarter of 2026 and between $2 billion and $2.5 billion for the subsequent quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
The North Carolinian said the site was "paid for by SLF" and was "not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee."
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The proposal came about in the final two days of negotiations, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment publicly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Credit freezes limit authorized access to your credit reports, so they can complicate approval of an application, Experian adds.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
It was not an authorized weapon for the A camp, but Big Jim had somehow managed to get his hands on it.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Nvidia has made another big splash, with its board of directors authorizing another $150 billion in stock buybacks.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
She said she was issuing an executive order authorizing “an independent evaluation of officer-involved deaths and severe injuries,” particularly those involving people in crisis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
The mosquito abatement district model has its roots in the early 20th century, and Utah was the third state to pass legislation authorizing the agencies.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
His lawyer, Adam Unikowsky, argued that geofence warrants violate the Fourth Amendment by authorizing a search of every single person's account to find who was within a geofence perimeter.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
The virtual credit card flashes blue for a moment, authorizing his signature, and then disappears.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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.
