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
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:
The GAO recommended that Congress temporarily limit nonemergency sales from the reserve and authorize a funding mechanism to help the Energy Department cover ongoing or periodic costs for maintaining the SPR.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
The White House did not respond to a request seeking comment on whether Trump would authorize humanitarian relief for Venezuelan immigrants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
But that is not, in fact, how Harlan meant it: In context, his broader argument was that permitting Jim Crow segregation would authorize a racial “caste” forbidden by the 14th Amendment.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026
Local 11’s SoFi Stadium workers overwhelmingly voted late last week to authorize a strike, which means a work stoppage could have started anytime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Between coughing fits, he pleaded with Leslie Groves to authorize a delay of the test.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
By contrast, the Constitution explicitly authorizes Congress to establish federal agencies and define the scope of their mandate.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
The new legislation will prevent school districts from sharing teachers’ personal information unless the teacher authorizes the disclosure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
“No federal statute authorizes the actions taken here.”
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 9, 2026
The process fell under California Education Code Section 76001 and San Bernardino Community College District Board Policy 5011, which authorizes qualified K-12 students to enroll in college coursework.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
It also says the Bishop of Jerusalem of the Arab Episcopal Church authorizes it.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
When the British government authorized 38 new criminal charges against the Tates and submitted an updated extradition request to the Justice Department, the White House’s calculation was simple.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
Sean Buckley, a lawyer for the Justice Department, argued that there was an exception if a subpoena is authorized by the attorney general.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
If he dies while living alone, access to his residence may initially be limited until the appropriate person is authorized to secure the property.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Board of Education authorized the sale of $750 million in bonds to settle hundreds of cases dating back decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Department authorized use of the AR-15 rifle only up to a distance of about a hundred yards, be-cause accuracy deteriorated so much with the additional distance.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
He added that the statute authorizing the president to remove a Federal Reserve Board member for cause didn’t require a notice or a hearing.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
The 9th Circuit upheld that measure in principle, but said California went too far by requiring the owner to post a prominent sign expressly authorizing guns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Before authorizing the transfer, though, Large told Waldorf she had to say specific words.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
The federal statutes authorizing prize jurisdiction for district courts remain on the books.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
I motioned to my colleagues not to move, and I addressed the warder: “I would like you to produce the document from the commissioner of prisons authorizing our pictures to be taken.”
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
