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 warranted

Until these nations can provide basic health care, the fear is warranted.
Is This Ebola's Tipping Point?|Kent Sepkowitz|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Isaacs says that the epidemic is inciting panic worldwide that, in his opinion, may soon be warranted.
Ebola Experts Warn of an African ‘Apocalypse’|Abby Haglage|August 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After advising against travel to the affected areas, Frieden said increased caution is warranted.
Two American Ebola Patients Coming Home to U.S. for Treatment|Abby Haglage|August 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Were they keeping a list instead of getting their work done, perhaps discipline is warranted.
The First Amendment Works, But Does it Work Blue?|Kevin Bleyer|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Governments at all levels will face short-term costs, of course, but the economic fear of immigrants has never been warranted.
These Undocumented Teens Outsmarted MIT—and Still Cant Get Real Jobs in America|Jonathan Alter|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some of our brothers had made his acquaintance, and Pauline, who had met him at Montecito, had warranted him as "interesting."
A Woman of Genius|Mary Austin
Consequently, to make the fact of such freedom the distinctive epithet of such schools seems scarcely to be warranted.
Education in England in the Middle Ages|Albert William Parry
Certainly he was warranted in thinking anything, all he would, since her wild, impulsive appeal in the early morning.
The Ordeal|Charles Egbert Craddock
Anarchy in Syria warranted Pompeius in annexing the Seleucid dominion.
The World's Greatest Books, Vol XI.|Edited by Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton
His trust was warranted, until Landor detected the solecism.
Milton|Sir Walter Alexander Raleigh

British Dictionary definitions for warranted

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

Idioms and Phrases with warranted

warrant

see sign one's own death warrant.