Synonyms

endorse

American

[en-dawrs] / ɛnˈdɔrs /

verb (used with object)

to approve, support, or sustain.

to endorse a political candidate.

Synonyms:

second, back, sustain, uphold, ratify, sanction
to designate oneself as payee of (a check) by signing, usually on the reverse side of the instrument.
to sign one's name on (a commercial document or other instrument).
to make over (a stated amount) to another as payee by one's endorsement.
to write (something) on the back of a document, paper, etc..

to endorse instructions; to endorse one's signature.
to acknowledge (payment) by placing one's signature on a bill, draft, etc.

noun

Heraldry. a narrow pale, about one quarter the usual width and usually repeated several times.

endorse British

/ ɪnˈdɔːs /

verb

to give approval or sanction to
to sign (one's name) on the back of (a cheque, etc) to specify oneself as payee
commerce
1. to sign the back of (a negotiable document) to transfer ownership of the rights to a specified payee
2. to specify (a designated sum) as transferable to another as payee
to write (a qualifying comment, recommendation, etc) on the back of a document
to sign (a document), as when confirming receipt of payment
to record (a conviction) on (a driving licence)

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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.

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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:

endorse endorses endorsed endorsing

The Fed chairman didn’t endorse or reject colleagues’ recent indications that the central bank is in no hurry to raise interest rates at its Oct. 27-28 meeting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The names of hundreds of notable figures from across the West Midlands have been added to the piece, with some visiting the project specifically to endorse it by adding their signature.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

But the charges were often based on technicalities, such as failing to publicly disclose how much they were paid to endorse the new coins.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

The Times: But does it make you uncomfortable, the way they speak about co-governance, as if they endorse and then they feel that those representatives should be answering to them?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

Today few Christians would endorse this argument, but that doesn’t make it any easier to assign the correct degree of blame to their ancestors.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

But he will still be able to stay in the spotlight by creating suspense over whom he endorses as his successor in 2028.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

The U.S. endorses that approach, a senior American official said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

It is lost on me how he could square those poetic words with the decision he endorses in Callais.

From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2026

“I’m disappointed most of them will be on the ballot,” said Lorena Gonzalez, the head of the California Federation of Labor Unions, which will announce whether it endorses in the governor’s race on March 16.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026

Even more extreme is the case where a celebrity endorses a diet or medicine or whatever, in which case we have a sample of one, and generally a paid sample at that.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Just eight days before the vigil, Almontaser had publicly endorsed Mamdani’s new strategy to combat antisemitism—the same initiative that had helped provoke the student protest.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

"There are also guidelines for investigation, endorsed by the ICRC, so they have some authority. And they emphasise promptness, thoroughness, impartiality."

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

“She said that she would come to us, but she never did,” said Medrano, whose group has endorsed Bass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

A few days later, with Ms. Graham sworn in, President Trump endorsed her in a race in which she hadn’t intended to compete.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

In March, the German parliament endorsed the Enabling Act, granting Hitler unprecedented power to enact laws without parliamentary involvement.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

I was in the mode of being a good council member and trying to fight for my constituents and endorsing the mayor is part of that.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

On the other hand, as even the Globe editorial endorsing Moulton acknowledged, Markey still seems like “the picture of sharpness and vigor.”

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

A vaccine skeptic, Kennedy has shared mixed messaging on MMR vaccine, at times endorsing it and other times sharing unproven claims about its safety.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

The challenge for brands is to acknowledge that development without endorsing the extremes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

By supporting Moore, and, more importantly, by endorsing his new tactic of direct action, Austin would soon have an impact far beyond Durham or even the borders of North Carolina.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023