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

While hosts typically don’t do the actual pitching, their presence provides a seal of approval that helps drive a purchase.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

Johnson’s mother, Griffith, did appear to give her seal of approval to the musician, however, stating in a video that was posted by the gossip account DeuxMoi that she thought he was “fabulous.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026

"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

One question: Did the federal government’s seal of approval for Tricolor cause investors to ignore hazard lights?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025

But I also benefited from the special prestige of having the seal of approval from that Very Important Woman about the town of Mason, Mrs. Swerlin.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

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