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
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.
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
By 1534, Henry’s bishops were urging the king to authorize a new English translation of the Scriptures to help unify his realm.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 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
State Department authorize nonemergency U.S. government personnel and their family members to leave Israel “due to safety risks,” which weren’t specified.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
“I shall authorize a champion to undertake this perilous journey, to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back to camp. Or die trying.”
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
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.
