whitelist

[ wahyt-list, hwahyt- ]

noun

1. a list of novels, motion pictures, etc., deemed suitable for juveniles, members of a particular faith, or other specified groups of individuals.
2. a list of people thought by a business concern to be qualified or otherwise suitable for employment.
3. a list of business establishments approved for patronage because of hiring practices, religious or political affiliations, etc.
4. a list kept by a labor union, containing the names of employers who maintain working conditions approved by the union.
5. a list of individuals, organizations, etc., having security clearance from government officials.
6. Digital Technology.
   1. a list of email addresses or web addresses that are allowed to pass through a spam filter:

      The company sent a reminder to their shoppers to add the new-orders email to their whitelist, or else receipts could be snagged by the spam filter.

   2. a list of trusted software programs allowed to access a device or operating system:

      The antivirus program can’t fully protect your computer if you keep overriding it to add apps to its whitelist.

7. a list of places to or from which one may travel without restriction:

   a whitelist where tourists are permitted entry without mandatory quarantine.

verb (used with object)

1. to put on a whitelist.

Word History and Origins

Origin of whitelist¹

First recorded in 1905–10; white ( def ) + list ¹( def ), modeled on blacklist ( def )

Example Sentences

Before the launch, advertisers were only able to participate in property promotion ads through a whitelist, but now you’ll be able to participate directly through the Google Ads interface.

From Search Engine Land