warrant

[ wawr-uh nt, wor- ]

/ ˈwɔr ənt, ˈwɒr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR warrant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

authorization, sanction, or justification.

something that serves to give reliable or formal assurance of something; guarantee, pledge, or security.

something considered as having the force of a guarantee or as being positive assurance of a thing: The cavalry and artillery were considered sure warrants of success.

a writing or document certifying or authorizing something, as a receipt, license, or commission.

Law. an instrument, issued by a magistrate, authorizing an officer to make an arrest, seize property, make a search, or carry a judgment into execution.

the certificate of authority or appointment issued to an officer of the armed forces below the rank of a commissioned officer.

a warehouse receipt.

a written authorization for the payment or receipt of money: a treasury warrant.

verb (used with object)

to give authority to; authorize.

to give reason or sanction for; account for: The circumstances warrant such measures.

to give one's word for; vouch for (often used with a clause to emphasize something asserted): I'll warrant he did!

to give a formal assurance, or a guarantee or promise, to or for; guarantee: to warrant someone honorable treatment; to warrant payment; to warrant safe delivery.

to guarantee the quantity, quality, and other representations of (an article, product, etc.), as to a purchaser.

to guarantee or secure title to (the purchaser of goods); assure indemnification against loss to.

Law. to guarantee title of an estate or other granted property (to a grantee).

Nearby words

warper, warping board, warping frame, warplane, warpwise, warrant, warrant of fitness, warrant officer, warrant sale, warrantable, warrantee

Origin of warrant

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English warant < Anglo-French; Old French guarant < Germanic; compare Middle Low German warend, -ent warranty, noun use of present participle of waren to warrant; (v.) Middle English < Anglo-French warantir; Old French g(u)arantir, derivative of guarant; see guaranty

Related forms

war·rant·less, adjectivenon·war·rant·ed, adjectivepre·war·rant, noun, verb (used with object)qua·si-war·rant·ed, adjective

re·war·rant, verb (used with object)self-war·rant·ing, adjectiveun·war·rant·ed, adjectiveun·war·rant·ed·ly, adverbwell-war·rant·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for warrant

Antoine himself had recently been arrested on a six-year-old warrant for a dime bag of weed.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The risks are too high to warrant supporting public marriage proposals.
Public Marriage Proposals Must Die|Tauriq Moosa|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Olga was on guard as always, and categorically refused to open the door unless the police produced a warrant.
How Havel Inspired the Velvet Revolution|Michael Zantovsky|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are indeed cases of serious harassment that warrant both public scrutiny and close attention from law enforcement.
A Female Writer’s New Milestone: Her First Death Threat|Annie Gaus|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Its purpose is to answer one question: Is there enough evidence to warrant a trial?
Awaiting the Grand Jury, Dread in Ferguson and America|Gene Robinson|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Their usefulness may be regarded as a warrant of a wider adoption of them.
The High School Failures|Francis P. Obrien
Once on the horse, it would have been no jest, and I'll warrant you would soon have left the castle far behind.
Under the Rose|Frederic Stewart Isham
"Yes; I'll warrant they're glad," cried Prescott, his eyes shining mistily.
Uncle Sam's Boys in the Philippines|H. Irving Hancock
The result of this second review did not warrant any change in my original statement.
Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex|Sigmund Freud
They were no happier than I was then; I'll warrant they are no happier now.
Westward Ho!|Charles Kingsley

British Dictionary definitions for warrant

warrant

/ (ˈwɒrənt) /

noun

anything that gives authority for an action or decision; authorization; sanction

a document that certifies or guarantees, such as a receipt for goods stored in a warehouse, a licence, or a commission

law an authorization issued by a magistrate or other official allowing a constable or other officer to search or seize property, arrest a person, or perform some other specified act

(in certain armed services) the official authority for the appointment of warrant officers

a security that functions as a stock option by giving the owner the right to buy ordinary shares in a company at a specified date, often at a specified price

verb (tr)

to guarantee the quality, condition, etc, of (something)

to give authority or power to

to attest to or assure the character, worthiness, etc, of

to guarantee (a purchaser of merchandise) against loss of, damage to, or misrepresentation concerning the merchandise

law to guarantee (the title to an estate or other property)

to declare boldly and confidently

Derived Forms

warrantable, adjectivewarrantability, nounwarrantably, adverbwarranter, noun

warrantless, adjective

Word Origin for warrant

C13: from Anglo-French warrant, variant of Old French guarant, from guarantir to guarantee, of Germanic origin; compare guaranty

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

Word Origin and History for warrant (1 of 2)

warrant

early 13c., "protector, defender," from Old North French warant (Old French garant), from Frankish *warand (cf. Old High German weren "to authorize, warrant," German gewähren "to grant"), from Proto-Germanic *war- "to warn, guard, protect," perhaps from PIE root *wer- "to cover" (cf. Latin vereri "to observe with awe, revere, respect, fear;" Greek ouros "watchman," horan "to see;" Hittite werite- "to see;" see weir).

Sense evolved via notion of "permission from a superior which protects one from blame or responsibility" (c.1300) to "document conveying authority" (1510s). A warrant officer in the military is one who holds office by warrant, rather than by commission.

Word Origin and History for warrant (1 of 2)

warrant

late 13c., "to keep safe from danger," from Old North French warantir (Old French garantir), from warant (see warrant (n.)).

Meaning "to guarantee to be of quality" is attested from late 14c.; sense of "to guarantee as true" is recorded from c.1300. Related: Warranted; warranting.

Idioms and Phrases with warrant

warrant

see sign one's own death warrant.

warrant

noun

verb (used with object)

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of warrant

Examples from the Web for warrant

British Dictionary definitions for warrant

warrant

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for warrant

Word Origin and History for warrant (1 of 2)

warrant

Word Origin and History for warrant (1 of 2)

warrant

Idioms and Phrases with warrant

warrant