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:
That would automatically entitle them to move around Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
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
Disruption caused by things like conflict - but also bad weather, strikes by airport or air traffic control staff, or other "extraordinary circumstances" - does not entitle you to extra compensation.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
His attorneys argue that this should entitle him to having his living expenses covered for the rest of his life and an equal division of all properties subject to the agreement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025
That’s how long Chacko and Rahel had to wait for the pink receipt that would entitle them to collect Ammu’s remains.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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
With nothing left in her garden, Musole took the deal, which also entitles her to 11 pounds of cornmeal, a staple of local diets, every month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
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
“Unless you find something else I’m afraid you will have to go back to the front when you are through with your jaundice. I don’t believe self-inflicted jaundice entitles you to a convalescent leave.”
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson said if the UUP decided not to nominate a health minister, his party - as the next entitled to nominate under the current rules - would do so.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Depending on the state, an executor may be entitled to a statutory fee or reasonable compensation.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
It also charges the receiving parent 4% of the money they are entitled to.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
In their study entitled “Bubbles for Fama,” they used prior two-year returns to calculate the odds of a crash — defined as a drop of at least 40% over the subsequent two years.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Neither did Elisha usually come anywhere near the church on Saturday evenings; but as the pastor’s nephew he was entitled to certain freedoms; in him it was a virtue that he came at all.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
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
In April, the government introduced HRT pre-payment certificates in England, entitling some patients to an annual supply of HRT for £19.30.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2023
“Failure to pay Mr. Zeidman the $5 million prize was a breach of the contract, entitling him to recover.”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 20, 2023
“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.
