visa
Americannoun
-
visas
plural
verb (used with object)
-
to give a visa to; approve a visa for.
-
to put a visa on (a passport).
noun
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an endorsement in a passport or similar document, signifying that the document is in order and permitting its bearer to travel into or through the country of the government issuing it
-
any sign or signature of approval
verb
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to enter a visa into (a passport)
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to endorse or ratify
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of visa
1830–40; < French, short for Latin carta vīsa “the document (has been) seen”; vīsa, feminine past participle of vidēre “to see, look at”
Explanation
A visa is a permit to enter a specific country. Without a visa, you might not be able to travel where you want. While you may know Visa as the name of a credit card company, a visa is a little different: it's an official authorization to enter a country. This is different from a passport, which is a type of identification geared toward international travel. A visa is a more specific form of authorization, allowing you to travel to a certain country. A visa may only last for a certain amount of time, and different countries have different standards for granting a visa.
Vocabulary lists containing visa
"Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
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Greetings, World Traveler! — List 3
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Viewing Current Refugee Crisis Through an Anne Frank Lens
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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:
Lawyers representing Alfozan said the military official was the brother-in-law of his wife, and that she left because of issues with her visa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
But during a layover at Los Angeles International Airport, I was delayed by visa issues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
While I fixed my visa issues, I spent a cold, sunny January week in L.A. with nothing to do.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Foreign care workers who do not qualify for the five-year settlement will be able to apply for a new five-year visa, and then seek settlement.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
On the other side of the balance — no job, no family, no visa.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
New Zealand authorities made it clear they would not grant her any future visas.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
In addition, Caltech, Stanford and seven other campuses are under investigation by the Labor Department for potential fraud in their use of J-1 visas to bring in international scholars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The US State Department said it would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family but did not confirm their travel plans.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
The US has said it would grant visas to Bolsonaro and his family, who travelled with him.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
It was the only company near Maribel’s school that had been willing to sponsor our visas.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
His cautious employers had merely supplied him expense money and instructions to have his passport visaed for England, France and Germany.
From Time Magazine Archive
Last week, for the first time since the War, Dutch frontier guards allowed Germans to enter the Netherlands without having their passports visaed.
From Time Magazine Archive
Theirs was not an official military mission such as the Dutch or Swiss had accredited to the Control Council, but simply a purchasing mission with passports visaed by the Soviet occupation authorities.
From Time Magazine Archive
It would have taken him two weeks, every time, to get his passport visaed.
From Time Magazine Archive
A minute later the passport had been visaed!
From The Gambler by C. J. Hogarth
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
