endorse
Americanverb (used with object)
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to approve, support, or sustain.
to endorse a political candidate.
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to designate oneself as payee of (a check) by signing, usually on the reverse side of the instrument.
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to sign one's name on (a commercial document or other instrument).
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to make over (a stated amount) to another as payee by one's endorsement.
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to write (something) on the back of a document, paper, etc..
to endorse instructions; to endorse one's signature.
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to acknowledge (payment) by placing one's signature on a bill, draft, etc.
noun
verb
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to give approval or sanction to
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to sign (one's name) on the back of (a cheque, etc) to specify oneself as payee
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commerce
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to sign the back of (a negotiable document) to transfer ownership of the rights to a specified payee
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to specify (a designated sum) as transferable to another as payee
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to write (a qualifying comment, recommendation, etc) on the back of a document
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to sign (a document), as when confirming receipt of payment
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to record (a conviction) on (a driving licence)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of endorse
First recorded in 1350–1400; variant (with en- for in- ) of earlier indorse, from Medieval Latin indorsāre “to endorse,” equivalent to Latin in- in- 2 + -dorsāre, derivative of dorsum “back”; replacing endoss, Middle English endossen, from Old French endosser, equivalent to en- en- 1 + -dosser, derivative of dos, from Latin dorsum
Explanation
To endorse is to give support to someone or something. "I endorse this!" means "I think this is a good thing, and so should you." People endorse in many ways. When someone endorses a politician, it means "You should vote for this person, and I'm putting my reputation on the line to say so." When someone endorses a product in a commercial, it means "Go buy this! You'll like it." To endorse is to give support. You can also endorse a check, which means writing your name or someone else's on the back so that you or the other person can cash or deposit it.
Vocabulary lists containing endorse
Material World: Shopping Lingo
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Vocabulary from Donald Trump's Victory Speech, November 9, 2016
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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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.
Massie’s long bench of surrogates also features a bevy of local elected officials showing up to endorse him.
From Slate • May 19, 2026
In the days after the event, OpenAI posted on social media that it wasn’t involved and didn’t endorse the tokens.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
“I think she deeply and personally understands the everyday struggles that so many Californians are grappling with right now,” said Petrie-Norris, who last month became the first state legislator to endorse Porter.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
The independent review led by Dr Jan Melia found "when police endorse misogyny, as they do here, risk to women escalates".
From BBC • May 5, 2026
Could any outside group endorse large-scale burning in Amazonia?
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
