approval

[ uh-proo-vuhl ]

noun

1. the act of approving; approbation.
2. formal permission or sanction.
3. Philately. one of a group of selected stamps sent by a dealer to a prospective customer for examination and either purchase or return.

approval

/ əˈpruːvəl /

noun

1. the act of approving
2. formal agreement; sanction
3. a favourable opinion; commendation
4. on approval
   (of articles for sale) for examination with an option to buy or return

Other Words From

• nonap·proval noun
• preap·proval noun
• proap·proval adjective
• reap·proval noun
• self-ap·proval noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of approval¹

First recorded in 1680–90; approve + -al ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on approval, without obligation to buy unless satisfactory to the customer upon trial or examination and, otherwise, returnable:

   We ship merchandise on approval.

More idioms and phrases containing approval

see on approval ; seal of approval .

Example Sentences

All bio-experiments were conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines of the National Institutes of Health and with the approval of the Institutional Review Boards of the University of California San Diego.

From Science Daily

The requests required approval by judges from the I.C.C., the world’s top criminal court.

From New York Times

Trump’s calls to close the Department of Education would need congressional approval, which appears unlikely.

From Los Angeles Times

Attaining FDA approval for GLP-1 analogs with the specific indication of treating alcohol use disorder, for example, will take years.

From Salon

In 2021, the Ingram-Moores received approval from the council to build a Captain Tom Foundation building beside their home, after referencing the charity’s name and number "numerous times" in the planning application.

From BBC

Related Words

• blessing
• confirmation
• consent
• endorsement
• go ahead
• green light
• license
• mandate
• permission
• ratification
• recommendation
• sanction
• support