entitle
Americanverb (used with object)
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to give (a person or thing) a title, right, or claim to something; furnish with grounds for laying claim.
His executive position entitled him to certain courtesies rarely accorded others.
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to call by a particular title or name.
What was the book entitled?
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to designate (a person) by an honorary title.
verb
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to give (a person) the right to do or have something; qualify; allow
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to give a name or title to
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to confer a title of rank or honour upon
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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entitlesimple
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entitlessimple
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have entitledperfect
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has entitledperfect
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am entitlingprogressive
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are entitlingprogressive
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is entitlingprogressive
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have been entitlingperfect progressive
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has been entitlingperfect progressive
Past
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entitledsimple
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had entitledperfect
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was entitlingprogressive
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were entitlingprogressive
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had been entitlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of entitle
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English entitlen, from Anglo-French entitler, variant of Middle French entituler, from Late Latin intitulāre; see en- 1, title
Explanation
Use the verb entitle to mean "give a right to." At some schools, being a senior might entitle students to go out for lunch on Fridays. The most common use of entitle is the one you might see on a coupon, like one for a free ride at the state fair that entitles the holder to one free ride on the Octopus of Terror. When you entitle someone, you give them a claim to something, like when you entitle someone the best goalie in Canada, or make someone a member of the noble class, like when the Queen entitles, or gives a title to, a worthy person.
Vocabulary lists containing entitle
Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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The Bluest Eye
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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:
Just following this process would entitle employers’ decisions to “significant deference” from the courts — a “safe harbor,” or legal shield, meant to guard those decisions from challenge.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Current labor agreements entitle workers to double pay if they operate an electric and diesel vehicle, or work both in a rail yard and on an active train, in the same shift.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
“The idea was always, I pay the property owner, someone pays me rent, I more or less break even and I have time to entitle the property for something bigger.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2026
Disruption caused by things like a fire, bad weather, strikes by airport or air traffic control staff, or other "extraordinary circumstances" does not entitle you to extra compensation.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2025
We had waited since April for the magic package containing the packets and packets of seeds we were to sell for five cents each, which would entitle us to a new bicycle.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Apellis stockholders will also receive a contingent value right that entitles them to an additional $2-a-share payout, dependent upon annual global net sales thresholds being met for Syfovre.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
The courts have established that making a charitable gift is a protected free speech activity that entitles donors to certain privacy rights.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025
The parents argued that the free exercise clause of the First Amendment entitles them to these accommodations.
From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2025
"Having the right help and support could be a real key factor in ensuring that they're ageing well and I think that everyone is entitles to have the best life that they can."
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2024
Michael entitles us to a few extra shillings on the dole but Mam says it isn’t enough and now she has to go to the St.Vincent de Paul Society for food.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Dodgers management didn’t browbeat Treinen and Call, and that’s fine — ballplayers should be entitled to share their personal thoughts, however noxious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
The thinking is simple: Collect the benefits you’re entitled to now rather than assume they’ll remain unchanged decades into the future.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Veterans are entitled to tax-free disability payments for injuries that result from military service, with benefits based on the number and severity of injuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
With England's World Cup campaign at an end, Rashford is now entitled to a three-week break.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
This is why Boyle’s contribution to the vacuum debate was entitled New Experiments Physico-mechanical: mechanics is now being used to explain physics.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
A pasta PSA: After a yearslong hiatus, Olive Garden is selling 10,000 Never-Ending Pasta Passes on Thursday, entitling buyers to 13 weeks of unlimited pasta, soup, salad, and breadsticks.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
In addition to the cash consideration, Theravance shareholders will receive contingent value rights entitling them to 80% of net proceeds from any future license, divestiture or other monetization of ampreloxetine within the next 10 years.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
But the key point there was that Verstappen was ahead at the apex of the corner, entitling him to run to the edge of the track according to F1’s racing rules.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2024
In 2023, Newsom extended that version of the program for another five years and added a “refundable” feature entitling studios to cash payments from the state when their credits exceed their tax bills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2024
“He has a letter from Doc Daneeka entitling him to all the fruit and fruit juices he wants.”
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
