approve

verb

(transitive) To regard as good; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of.

(transitive) To officially sanction; to ratify; to confirm; to set as satisfactory.

(intransitive, followed by "of") To consider worthy (to); to be pleased (with); to accept.

(transitive, law, English law) To make profit of; to convert to one's own profit — said especially of waste or common land appropriated by the lord of the manor.

(transitive, archaic) To make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically.

(archaic, transitive, usually with a reflexive pronoun) To show to be worthy; to demonstrate the merits of.

Roots

proboprov- · Latin · prove, test

Synonyms for approve

sanctionn authorizev endorsev ratifyv acceptv consentn permitv accreditv allowv condonev

Synonyms & related words for approve

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of approve — including sanction, authorize, endorse, ratify, accept, consent. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to approve

Explore words related to approve — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include preapprove, approbate, approbatory, approbative, approval, disapprove, approver, consentaneous. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for approve

Common synonyms for approve include sanction, authorize, endorse, ratify, accept, consent, permit, accredit — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does approve come from?

The word approve breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root prov-, from Latin probo (“prove, test”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.