authorize

[aw-thuh-rahyz]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR authorize ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), au·thor·ized, au·thor·iz·ing.

to give authority or official power to; empower: to authorize an employee to sign purchase orders.

to give authority for; formally sanction (an act or proceeding): Congress authorized the new tax on tobacco.

to establish by authority or usage: an arrangement long authorized by etiquette books.

to afford a ground for; warrant; justify.

Also especially British, au·thor·ise.

Origin of authorize

1350–1400; earlier auctorize < Medieval Latin auctōrizāre; replacing Middle English autorisen < Middle French autoriser < Medieval Latin See author, -ize

Related formsau·thor·iz·a·ble, adjectiveau·thor·iz·er, nounde·au·thor·ize, verb (used with object), de·au·thor·ized, de·au·thor·iz·ing.mis·au·thor·ize, verb (used with object), mis·au·thor·ized, mis·au·thor·iz·ing.pre·au·thor·ize, verb (used with object), pre·au·thor·ized, pre·au·thor·iz·ing.re·au·thor·ize, verb (used with object), re·au·thor·ized, re·au·thor·iz·ing.self-au·thor·iz·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for authorize

Contemporary Examples of authorize

The Senate will vote Tuesday on whether to authorize the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
The Pipeline From Hell: There’s No Good Reason to Build Keystone XL
Jack Holmes
November 15, 2014
He then called on Congress to authorize a program to train and equip 5,000 rebels per year in Saudi Arabia, which they did.
Exclusive: America’s Allies Almost Bombed in Syrian Airstrikes
Josh Rogin
September 30, 2014
If you miss your session, you authorize the app to charge your credit card or PayPal account.
4 Science-Backed Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Out
DailyBurn
September 13, 2014
President Obama has asked Congress to authorize $500 million to train a new Syrian opposition out of Saudi Arabia.
Contractors Ready to Cash In On ISIS War
Eli Lake
September 13, 2014
Obama relied on the September 14 resolution, like Bush, to authorize drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia.
Obama’s War in Iraq Marks the Return of the Global War on Terror
Eli Lake
August 18, 2014

Historical Examples of authorize

I authorize you now to break all this to the family in any way you think best.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
What resolution had they come to, he asked, as he could not authorize them to fight?
Nana, The Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille
Emile Zola
However, will you authorize my father-in-law to undertake your case?
Doctor Pascal
Emile Zola
Certainly, I authorize M. Leveque to do so, and tell him that I thank him a thousand times.
Doctor Pascal
Emile Zola
If you authorize me to act for you, I have no doubt something can be arranged.
The Wall Street Girl
Frederick Orin Bartlett

British Dictionary definitions for authorize

authorize

authorise

verb (tr)

to confer authority upon (someone to do something); empower

to permit (someone to do or be something) with official sanctiona dealer authorized by a manufacturer to retail his products

Derived Formsauthorization or authorisation, nounauthorizer or authoriser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for authorize

"give formal approval to," late 14c., autorisen, from Old French autoriser "authorize, give authority to" (12c.), from Medieval Latin auctorizare, from auctor (see author (n.)). Modern spelling from 16c. Related: Authorized; authorizing.