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
Ah’Mari was paid “four figures” to endorse Grip Boost, maker of athletic gloves, a company representative said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
Aberdeen Performing Arts said it did not endorse the personal or political views of the artists who perform on its stages.
From BBC • May 4, 2026
Tan is one of several CEOs to endorse the technology publicly.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 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
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.
