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: uphold, justify, vindicate, validate

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

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

Other Words From

• 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

Among the sort of policing that fell away, the former officer said, was officers’ routine sweeps of areas where drug users congregated, to check their names for outstanding warrants, which would often net suspects in local burglaries.

From ProPublica

At least a dozen times, the report states, judges issued bench warrants for her arrest for violating the terms of her release requiring her to enter various treatment programs.

From Washington Blade

Housing authority officials didn’t cancel the eviction warrant until a month later.

From ProPublica

Whether new team members or veteran managers, we assume we have neither the capacity nor the warrant to reinvent how our organizations work.

From Quartz

The USA Freedom Reauthorization Act grants federal authorities the ability to collect “tangible things” related to national security investigations without a warrant.

From Voice of San Diego

Antoine himself had recently been arrested on a six-year-old warrant for a dime bag of weed.

From The Daily Beast

The risks are too high to warrant supporting public marriage proposals.

From The Daily Beast

Not enough black films are being made to warrant a piece of the pie.

From The Daily Beast

Because Wright was a no-show in criminal court to face the loud music and pot bust he already had an outstanding warrant.

From The Daily Beast

Olga was on guard as always, and categorically refused to open the door unless the police produced a warrant.

From The Daily Beast

De Robeck agrees that we don't know enough yet to warrant us in fault-finding or intervention.

From Project Gutenberg

He had no rest until the seals were fixed to parchment, and the warrant of his release appeared in public print.

From Project Gutenberg

He has no authority to warrant the quality of property sold except custom or authority is expressly given to him.

From Project Gutenberg

The context in Chaucer does not seem to warrant the interpretation given by Tyrwhit.

From Project Gutenberg

David had replied, in that short tone of self-sufficiency which conveys so much more than the syllable would seem to warrant.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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