sanction
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
sanc·tion
(săngk′shən)n.
1. Authoritative permission or approval that makes a course of action valid. See Synonyms at permission.
2. Support or encouragement, as from public opinion or established custom.
3. A consideration, influence, or principle that dictates an ethical choice.
4.
a. The penalty for noncompliance with a law or legal order.
b. A penalty, specified or in the form of moral pressure, that acts to ensure compliance with a social standard or norm.
c. A coercive measure adopted usually by several nations acting together against a nation violating international law.
tr.v. sanc·tioned, sanc·tion·ing, sanc·tions
1. To give official authorization or approval to: voting rights that are sanctioned by law.
2. To encourage or tolerate by indicating approval: His colleagues sanctioned his new research.
3. To penalize, as for violating a moral principle or international law: "Half of the public defenders of accused murderers were sanctioned by the Texas bar for legal misbehavior or incompetence" (Garry Wills).
[Middle English, enactment of a law, from Old French, ecclesiastical decree, from Latin sānctiō, sānctiōn-, binding law, penal sanction, from sānctus, holy; see sanctify.]
sanc′tion·a·ble adj.
Word History: Occasionally, a word can have contradictory meanings. Such a case is represented by sanction, which can mean both "to allow, encourage" and "to punish so as to deter." Sanction comes from the Latin word sānctiō, meaning "a law or decree that is sacred or inviolable." This noun is related to the Latin verb sancīre, which basically meant "to render sacred or inviolable by a religious act," but was also used in such extended meanings as "to ordain," "to decree," and "to forbid under pain of punishment." Thus from the beginning, two fundamental notions of law were wrapped up in the word: law as something that permits or approves and law that forbids by punishing. In English, the word sanction is first recorded in the mid-1500s in the meaning "law, decree." Not long after, in the 1600s, it also came to be used to refer to the penalty enacted to cause one to obey a law or decree. From the noun, a verb sanction was created in the 18th century meaning "to allow by law," but it wasn't until the second half of the 1900s that it began to mean "to punish (for breaking a law)." English has a few other words that can refer to opposites, such as the verbs dust (meaning both "to remove dust from" and "to put dust on") and trim (meaning both "to cut something away" and "to add something as an ornament").
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
sanction
(ˈsæŋkʃən)n
1. final permission; authorization
2. aid or encouragement
3. something, such as an ethical principle, that imparts binding force to a rule, oath, etc
4. (Law) the penalty laid down in a law for contravention of its provisions
5. (Law) (often plural) a coercive measure, esp one taken by one or more states against another guilty of violating international law
vb (tr)
6. to give authority to; permit
7. to make authorized; confirm
8. to impose a sanction or penalty on
[C16: from Latin sanctiō the establishment of an inviolable decree, from sancīre to decree]
ˈsanctionable adj
ˈsanctioner n
ˈsanctionless adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
sanc•tion
(ˈsæŋk ʃən)n.
1. authoritative permission or approval, as for an action.
2. something that serves to support an action, condition, etc.
3. something that gives binding force, as to an oath or rule of conduct.
4.
a. a provision of a law enacting a penalty for disobedience.
b. the penalty imposed.
5. action by a state or states calculated to force another state to comply with its obligations: to invoke sanctions against an aggressor.
v.t. 6. to authorize, approve, or allow.
7. to ratify or confirm.
8. to impose a sanction on; penalize, esp. by way of discipline.
[1555–65; < Latin sānctiō]
sanc′tion•a•ble, adj.
sanc′tion•a`tive (-ʃəˌneɪ tɪv, -nə-) adj.
sanc′tion•er, n.
sanc′tion•less, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
sanction
Past participle: sanctioned
Gerund: sanctioning
| Imperative |
|---|
| sanction |
| sanction |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. | sanction - formal and explicit approval; "a Democrat usually gets the union's endorsement" commendation, approval - a message expressing a favorable opinion; "words of approval seldom passed his lips" visa - an endorsement made in a passport that allows the bearer to enter the country issuing it nihil obstat - the phrase used by the official censor of the Roman Catholic Church to say that a publication has been examined and contains nothing offensive to the church |
| 2. | sanction - a mechanism of social control for enforcing a society's standards social control - control exerted (actively or passively) by group action | |
| 3. |  sanction - official permission or approval; "authority for the program was renewed several times"permission - approval to do something; "he asked permission to leave" | |
| 4. | sanction - the act of final authorization; "it had the sanction of the church" empowerment, authorisation, authorization - the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant benefit of clergy - sanction by a religious rite; "they are living together without benefit of clergy" name - by the sanction or authority of; "halt in the name of the law" nihil obstat - authoritative approval | |
| Verb | 1. |  sanction - give sanction to; "I approve of his educational policies"authorize, authorise, clear, pass - grant authorization or clearance for; "Clear the manuscript for publication"; "The rock star never authorized this slanderous biography" sanction - give religious sanction to, such as through on oath; "sanctify the marriage" visa - approve officially; "The list of speakers must be visaed" back, endorse, indorse, plump for, plunk for, support - be behind; approve of; "He plumped for the Labor Party"; "I backed Kennedy in 1960" confirm - support a person for a position; "The Senate confirmed the President's candidate for Secretary of Defense" |
| 2. | sanction - give authority or permission to | |
| 3. | sanction - give religious sanction to, such as through on oath; "sanctify the marriage" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
sanction
verb
1. permit, back, support, allow, approve, entitle, endorse, authorize, countenance, vouch for, lend your name to He may seem ready to sanction the use of force.
permit refuse, ban, veto, forbid, reject, boycott, disallow
permit refuse, ban, veto, forbid, reject, boycott, disallow
2. punish, discipline, penalize, chastise, bring to book, slap someone's wrist, throw the book at, rap someone's knuckles failure to sanction countries for butchering whales
noun
1. (often plural) ban, restriction, boycott, embargo, exclusion, penalty, deterrent, prohibition, coercive measures He expressed his opposition to lifting the sanctions.
ban authority, licence, approval, permission, authorization, dispensation, approbation
ban authority, licence, approval, permission, authorization, dispensation, approbation
2. permission, backing, support, authority, approval, allowance, confirmation, endorsement, countenance, ratification, authorization, approbation, O.K. or okay (informal), stamp or seal of approval The king could not enact laws without the sanction of parliament.
permission ban, veto, refusal, embargo, prohibition, disapproval, proscription
permission ban, veto, refusal, embargo, prohibition, disapproval, proscription
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
sanction
noun1. The approving of an action, especially when done by one in authority:
allowance, approbation, approval, authorization, consent, endorsement, leave, license, permission, permit.
Informal: OK.
2. An act of confirming officially:
3. A coercive measure intended to ensure compliance or conformity:
1. To give one's consent to:
Informal: OK.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
إقْرار، مُوافَقَهيَسْمَح، يأذَن بِ
schválitsouhlas
godkendegodkendelse
hyväksyntäpakotesäännössanktiosanktioida
sankcija
szentesítszentesítés
leyfa, heimilaleyfi, heimild
sankcijasankcionuoti
atļaujaatļautsankcijasankcionēt
izin vermekresmî izin
sanction
[ˈsæŋkʃən]A. N
1. (= approval) → permiso m, autorización f
2. (= penalty) → sanción f (esp Pol) sanctions → sanciones fpl
to impose economic sanctions on or against → imponer sanciones económicas a or contra
to impose economic sanctions on or against → imponer sanciones económicas a or contra
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
sanction
[ˈsæŋkʃən] n
(= trade restriction) → sanction f
to impose economic sanctions on a country, to impose economic sanctions against a country → prendre des sanctions économiques contre un pays
to impose economic sanctions on a country, to impose economic sanctions against a country → prendre des sanctions économiques contre un pays
(= punishment) → sanction f
a system of rewards and sanctions → un système de récompenses et de sanctions
a system of rewards and sanctions → un système de récompenses et de sanctions
vt
(= approve, allow) [person, government] → sanctionner; [law] → autoriser
He will not sanction the use of force → Il refuse de sanctionner l'usage de la force.
the law which sanctioned the remarriage of widows
BUT la loi qui autorisait les veuves à se remarier.
He will not sanction the use of force → Il refuse de sanctionner l'usage de la force.
the law which sanctioned the remarriage of widows
BUT la loi qui autorisait les veuves à se remarier.
(= impose sanctions on) → sanctionnersanctions-busting [ˈsæŋkʃənzbʌstɪŋ] n → violation f de sanctions
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
sanction
n
(= permission, approval) → Zustimmung f; to give one’s sanction to something → etw sanktionieren, seine Zustimmung zu etw geben; rituals which have received the sanction of tradition → Rituale, die durch die Tradition sanktioniert sind
(= enforcing measure) → Sanktion f; to lift the sanctions on a country → die Sanktionen gegen ein Land aufheben
vt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
sanction
[ˈsæŋkʃ/ən]1. n (gen) → sanzione f
to impose economic sanctions on or against → adottare sanzioni economiche contro
to impose economic sanctions on or against → adottare sanzioni economiche contro
2. vt → sancire, sanzionare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
sanction
(ˈsӕŋkʃən) noun permission or approval. The soldier's action did not have the sanction of his commanding officer.
verb to permit or agree to. We cannot sanction the use of force.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
sanction
n. sanción, pena.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012