seal of approval

Idioms  

1. An endorsement of something or someone, as in Our candidate doesn't have the governor's seal of approval, or The new management gave the old refund policy their seal of approval. This idiom was used, and perhaps invented, as an advertising gimmick of Good Housekeeping Magazine, which gave its so-called “seal of approval” to products it endorsed; the products' packaging in turn bore a small emblem attesting to this endorsement. The noun seal here is used in the same sense as in set one's seal on.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

seal of approval

"We always knew our plushie toy collection was lifelike, but it seems we finally got the ultimate seal of approval," store manager Liam Bloomfield said.

From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026

Yet many of these so-called crossover artists were already established in their careers before they each got their seal of approval in the States.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026

“Why in the world would we give a seal of approval or a thumbs up to make you the largest behemoth on the planet related to content?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

Whatever the trajectory, it isn’t good news that the gold/platinum ratio — a market-timing indicator with a strong academic seal of approval — has suffered one of its sharpest and biggest drops ever.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2025

Who Haymitch has stamped with his seal of approval.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• advocacy
• affirmation
• approval
• backing
• commercial
• confirmation
• favor
• permission
• ratification
• recommendation
• signature