warrant
Americannoun
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authorization, sanction, or justification.
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something that serves to give reliable or formal assurance of something; guarantee, pledge, or security.
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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.
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a writing or document certifying or authorizing something, as a receipt, license, or commission.
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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.
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the certificate of authority or appointment issued to an officer of the armed forces below the rank of a commissioned officer.
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a warehouse receipt.
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a written authorization for the payment or receipt of money.
a treasury warrant.
verb (used with object)
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to give authority to; authorize.
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to give reason or sanction for; account for.
The circumstances warrant such measures.
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to give one's word for; vouch for (often used with a clause to emphasize something asserted).
I'll warrant he did!
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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.
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to guarantee the quantity, quality, and other representations of (an article, product, etc.), as to a purchaser.
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to guarantee or secure title to (the purchaser of goods); assure indemnification against loss to.
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Law. to guarantee title of an estate or other granted property (to a grantee).
noun
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anything that gives authority for an action or decision; authorization; sanction
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a document that certifies or guarantees, such as a receipt for goods stored in a warehouse, a licence, or a commission
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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
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(in certain armed services) the official authority for the appointment of warrant officers
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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
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to guarantee the quality, condition, etc, of (something)
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to give authority or power to
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to attest to or assure the character, worthiness, etc, of
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to guarantee (a purchaser of merchandise) against loss of, damage to, or misrepresentation concerning the merchandise
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law to guarantee (the title to an estate or other property)
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to declare boldly and confidently
Other Word Forms
- prewarrant noun
- rewarrant verb (used with object)
- self-warranting adjective
- warrantability noun
- warrantable adjective
- warrantably adverb
- warranter noun
- warrantless adjective
Etymology
Origin of warrant
First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English warant, from Anglo-French; Old French guarant, from Germanic; compare Middle Low German warend, warent “warranty,” noun use of present participle of waren “to warrant”; (verb) Middle English, from Anglo-French warantir; Old French g(u)arantir, derivative of guarant; guaranty
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.
In order to obtain a warrant to obtain a blood draw, the officer “falsely claimed that Senator Cervantes had an unsteady gait, slurred speech, and an appearance of drowsiness,” the complaint alleges.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
When Stafford obtained the warrant for Perkins’ arrest in November, he also secured a search warrant to collect a sample of her saliva.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026
Others don’t view their weight as problematic enough to warrant an injection, but might find a pill more palatable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Together, they create a cake that feels balanced — substantial enough to anchor a streusel, light enough to warrant a second slice.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026
The warrant officer in charge of field exercises is the commandant, an overzealous schoolmaster named Bastian with an expansive walk and a round belly and a coat quivering with war medals.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions 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.
