warrant

[ wawr-uhnt, wor- ]

noun

1. authorization, sanction, or justification.
2. something that serves to give reliable or formal assurance of something; guarantee, pledge, or security.

   Synonyms: surety, warranty

3. 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.

4. a writing or document certifying or authorizing something, as a receipt, license, or commission.

   Synonyms: chit, order, voucher, permit, writ

5. 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.
6. the certificate of authority or appointment issued to an officer of the armed forces below the rank of a commissioned officer.
7. a warehouse receipt.
8. a written authorization for the payment or receipt of money:

   a treasury warrant.

verb (used with object)

1. to give authority to; authorize.
2. to give reason or sanction for; account for:

   The circumstances warrant such measures.

   Synonyms: vindicate, validate, uphold, justify

3. to give one's word for; vouch for (often used with a clause to emphasize something asserted):

   I'll warrant he did!

   Synonyms: swear, attest, guarantee

4. 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.

5. to guarantee the quantity, quality, and other representations of (an article, product, etc.), as to a purchaser.
6. to guarantee or secure title to (the purchaser of goods); assure indemnification against loss to.
7. Law. to guarantee title of an estate or other granted property (to a grantee).

warrant

/ ˈwɒrənt /

noun

1. anything that gives authority for an action or decision; authorization; sanction
2. a document that certifies or guarantees, such as a receipt for goods stored in a warehouse, a licence, or a commission
3. 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
4. (in certain armed services) the official authority for the appointment of warrant officers
5. 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

1. to guarantee the quality, condition, etc, of (something)
2. to give authority or power to
3. to attest to or assure the character, worthiness, etc, of
4. to guarantee (a purchaser of merchandise) against loss of, damage to, or misrepresentation concerning the merchandise
5. law to guarantee (the title to an estate or other property)
6. to declare boldly and confidently

Derived Forms

• ˈwarrantless, adjective
• ˌwarrantaˈbility, noun
• ˈwarrantably, adverb
• ˈwarrantable, adjective
• ˈwarranter, noun

Other Word Forms

• war·rant·less adjective
• pre·war·rant noun verb (used with object)
• re·war·rant verb (used with object)
• self-war·rant·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of warrant¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English warant, from Anglo-French; Old French guarant, from Germanic; compare Middle Low German warend, warent “warranty,” noun use of present participle of waren “to warrant”; (verb) Middle English, from Anglo-French warantir; Old French g(u)arantir, derivative of guarant; guaranty

Word History and Origins

Origin of warrant¹

C13: from Anglo-French warrant, variant of Old French guarant, from guarantir to guarantee, of Germanic origin; compare guaranty

Idioms and Phrases

see sign one's own death warrant .

Example Sentences

On Feb. 26, D.A. investigators executed search warrants as part of “Operation Dirty Pond,” a probe into the alleged misuse of taxpayer funds allocated for a $24-million aquatic center that hasn’t been built.

From Los Angeles Times

To date they have issued 122 arrest warrants, but no one has yet been brought to justice.

From BBC

The night of May 8, 2024, the Asylum Motorcycle Club held a party at the Escondite bar in downtown Los Angeles, according to a search warrant affidavit reviewed by The Times.

From Los Angeles Times

Detectives executed a search warrant at the couple’s home in Lindsay, where they found narcotics and two other children, whose ages were not provided by the sheriff’s office.

From Los Angeles Times

Federal agents showed up last Monday unannounced and without a judicial warrant at Russell Elementary and at Lillian Street Elementary in the Florence-Graham neighborhood of South Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• affirm
• approve
• call for
• ensure
• explain
• necessitate
• permit
• require
• stipulate
• undertake
• uphold