disapprove
Americanverb (used with object)
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disapproves,
present (3rd person singular)
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disapproved,
past participle, past
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disapproving
present participle
verb (used without object)
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disapproves,
present (3rd person singular)
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disapproved,
past participle, past
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disapproving
present participle
verb
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to consider wrong, bad, etc
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(tr) to withhold approval from
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disapprovesimple
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disapprovessimple
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have disapprovedperfect
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has disapprovedperfect
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am disapprovingprogressive
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are disapprovingprogressive
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is disapprovingprogressive
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have been disapprovingperfect progressive
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has been disapprovingperfect progressive
Past
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disapprovedsimple
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had disapprovedperfect
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was disapprovingprogressive
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were disapprovingprogressive
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had been disapprovingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disapprove
Explanation
To disapprove is to object to something, or frown on it. Your parents, worried about head injuries, might disapprove of your joining the football team. You can say that you disapprove of violence in movies and video games, or that you disapprove of censorship of any kind. Almost everyone disapproves of things like drunk driving or being cruel to animals. In all of these examples, to disapprove is to believe something is wrong or bad. Originally, in the 15th century, the word meant "disprove," but by the mid-1600s the meaning shifted to "the reverse of approve."
Vocabulary lists containing disapprove
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:
Eighty-seven percent of Peruvians disapprove of the legislature, according to an Ipsos poll.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
It’s not as if voters can go to the voting booth and show that they disapprove of this.
From Slate ● May 7, 2026
According to Gallup, as of September 2025, 42% of respondents approve, 52% disapprove and 6% have no opinion of the Supreme Court.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
Direct military assistance would also be deeply unpopular among the Japanese people, with a recent poll by newspaper The Asahi Shimbun showing 82% of voters disapprove of the war.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
And he knew without asking that Crane-man would disapprove.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
There are some signs Mr Xi disapproves of the burgeoning alliance between two of his allies.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2024
The IOC typically disapproves of any public campaigning for the presidency.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2024
It seems likely that the court invented these rules because it believes Syed is guilty and disapproves of the state’s actions.
From Slate ● Mar. 29, 2023
If they fail to submit or if the EPA disapproves of their plan, the agency must issue its own rule to protect downwind states.
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2023
His posture disapproves of me, or am I imagining it?
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
The Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, which was taken before the court ruling, found that 57% of respondents disapproved of Trump’s managing of the economy, and 64% disapproved of his handling of tariffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
A Pew Research poll from November showed that 70 percent of Latinos disapproved of his performance.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
A Wall Street Journal poll found 58% of voters under 30 disapproved of the job Trump is doing as president.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
In a CBS survey taken before the weekend's shooting, 61% of respondents said that ICE is being "too tough when stopping and detaining people", while 58% disapproved of his handling of immigration as a whole.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2026
The father disapproved of the stock market, but the payout from his death funded his son into it.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Note: Net approval is share approving minus disapproving.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
They can issue a resolution disapproving of the president’s conduct.
From Slate ● Mar. 2, 2026
When questioned, he claimed to be a US official before leaving to disapproving looks from locals, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
What we call "fussiness" with a disapproving tone, is often anxiety and sensitivity, says consultant counselling psychologist Dr Ritika Suk Birah.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2025
The disapproving way she’s looking at me sets off alarm bells.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
