in the name of
Idioms-
By the authority of, as in Open up, in the name of the law! [Late 1300s]
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On behalf of, as in She made a donation in her daughter's name . [Late 1300s]
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; . With appeal to, as in In the name of God, stop that noise! or What in heaven's name are you doing? [c. a.d. 900]
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Under the designation of, as in They burned witches at the stake in the name of piety . [Late 1300s]
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Under the possession or ownership of, as in The certificate of ownership was rightfully in my name . [Mid-1900s]
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in one's own name . On one's own behalf, as in Mary signed the check for John in her own name . [Late 1800s]
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.
An age, it bears adding, when X and Meta—Facebook and Instagram’s corporate owner—no longer emphasize stalwart moderation guardrails in the name of reducing “censorship” on their platforms.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
His contribution is set to go to an unnamed charity that is "dedicated to protecting First Amendment rights" and will be gifted in the name of Ina Steiner, according to the couple's lawyers.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
It revealed an assumption in law about who may act in the name of safety.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
But they also illustrate the limits of asking the public to endure indefinite hardship in the name of resistance.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
“What in the name of Mike have you been doing? I’ve rung the office three times and they said they hadn’t seen you.”
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
