authorize

[ aw-thuh-rahyz ]
See synonyms for authorize on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),au·thor·ized, au·thor·iz·ing.
  1. to give authority or official power to; empower: to authorize an employee to sign purchase orders.

  2. to give authority for; formally sanction (an act or proceeding): Congress authorized the new tax on tobacco.

  1. to establish by authority or usage: an arrangement long authorized by etiquette books.

  2. to afford a ground for; warrant; justify.

Origin of authorize

1
1350–1400; earlier auctorize<Medieval Latin auctōrizāre; replacing Middle English autorisen<Middle French autoriser<Medieval Latin See author, -ize
  • Also especially British, au·thor·ise .

Other words from authorize

  • au·thor·iz·a·ble, adjective
  • au·thor·iz·er, noun
  • de·au·thor·ize, verb (used with object), de·au·thor·ized, de·au·thor·iz·ing.
  • mis·au·thor·ize, verb (used with object), mis·au·thor·ized, mis·au·thor·iz·ing.
  • pre·au·thor·ize, verb (used with object), pre·au·thor·ized, pre·au·thor·iz·ing.
  • re·au·thor·ize, verb (used with object), re·au·thor·ized, re·au·thor·iz·ing.
  • self-au·thor·iz·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use authorize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for authorize

authorize

authorise

/ (ˈɔːθəˌraɪz) /


verb(tr)
  1. to confer authority upon (someone to do something); empower

  2. to permit (someone to do or be something) with official sanction: a dealer authorized by a manufacturer to retail his products

Derived forms of authorize

  • authorization or authorisation, noun
  • authorizer or authoriser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012