entitle
Americanverb (used with object)
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entitles,
present (3rd person singular)
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entitled,
past participle, past
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entitling
present participle
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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
A class action lawsuit which could entitle millions in the UK to a share of a £3bn claim against Apple is set to proceed to trial.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 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
“Does your battle for liberty entitle you to search through the private linens of a lady?”
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Eighteen-year-olds were already entitled to a 16-25 Railcard, but that only entitles them to a third off the cost of travel.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Each $2 token entitles you to a $1 position in the debt offering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Roberts and the court blocked such secret deportations and said the 5th Amendment entitles immigrants, like citizens, a right to “due process of law.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 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
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
That petition explicitly tied the demand to Reiner’s looming murder trial, saying he was entitled to “mount his defense with the resources that are lawfully his own.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
"We need to all rethink and start thinking of each other as human beings, all entitled to our own opinions."
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Investors are entitled to read a large backlog as a positive signal, but they should price it as a range of outcomes rather than as revenue that has already happened,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
"From Monday, they will be entitled to an absolute world-leading set of standards that we will build on over time," he added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
“According to her contract, Vivian was entitled to two weeks’ vacation after she finished her year with the Zamborskas.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
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
It added that "a number of casualties" had been documented as "civilian martyrs", meaning they have been unjustly killed and entitling them to compensation.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2025
“By entitling two options, we will be better positioned to ensure that we can deliver a viable project at this site once all approvals have been secured.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 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.
