| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
| |
| approve |
| |
| SYLLABICATION: | ap·prove |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   -pr v |
| VERB: | Inflected forms: ap·proved, ap·prov·ing, ap·proves
| | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To consider right or good; think or speak favorably of. 2. To consent to officially or formally; confirm or sanction: The Senate approved the treaty. 3. Obsolete To prove or attest. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | To show, feel, or express approval: didn't approve of the decision. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English approven, from Old French aprover, from Latin approb re : ad-, ad- + probre, to test (from probus, good; see per1 in Appendix I). | | OTHER FORMS: | ap·prova·ble —ADJECTIVE
ap·proving·ly —ADVERB
| | SYNONYMS: | approve, endorse, sanction, certify, accredit, ratify These verbs mean to express a favorable opinion or to signify satisfaction or acceptance. Approve means to consider right or good, but it can also denote official consent: “The colonel or commanding officer approves the sentence of a regimental court-martial” (Charles James). Endorse implies the public expression of support: The senator endorsed the candidate by issuing a press release. Sanction usually implies official authorization: The privilege of voting is a right sanctioned by law. Certify and accredit imply official approval based on compliance with requirements or standards: “The proper officers, comparing every article with its voucher, certified them to be right” (Benjamin Franklin). The board of education will accredit only institutions that have a sufficiently rigorous curriculum. To ratify is to invest officially with legal authority: “Amendments . . . shall be valid . . . when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States” (U.S. Constitution, Article V).
| | |
| |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
|
|
