warrant

1 of 2

noun

war·​rant ˈwȯr-ənt 

ˈwär-

1

a(1)

: sanction, authorization

also : evidence for or token of authorization

(2)

: guarantee, security

b(1)

: ground, justification

(2)

: confirmation, proof

2

a

: a commission or document giving authority to do something

especially : a writing that authorizes a person to pay or deliver to another and the other to receive money or other consideration

b

: a precept or writ issued by a competent magistrate authorizing an officer to make an arrest, a seizure, or a search or to do other acts incident to the administration of justice

c

: an official certificate of appointment issued to an officer of lower rank than a commissioned officer

d(1)

: a short-term obligation of a governmental body (such as a municipality) issued in anticipation of revenue

(2)

: an instrument issued by a corporation giving to the holder the right to purchase the stock of the corporation at a stated price either prior to a stipulated date or at any future time

warrantless

ˈwȯr-ənt-ləs 

ˈwär-

adjective

warrant

2 of 2

verb

warranted; warranting; warrants

transitive verb

1

a

: to declare or maintain with certainty : be sure that

I'll warrant he'll be here by noon

b

: to assure (a person) of the truth of what is said

2

a

: to guarantee to a person good title to and undisturbed possession of (something, such as an estate)

b

: to provide a guarantee of the security of (something, such as title to property sold) usually by an express covenant in the deed of conveyance

c

: to guarantee to be as represented

d

: to guarantee (something, such as goods sold) especially in respect of the quality or quantity specified

3

: to guarantee security or immunity to : secure

I'll warrant him from drowning

—William Shakespeare

4

: to give warrant or sanction to : authorize

the law warrants this procedure

5

a

: to give proof of the authenticity or truth of

b

: to give assurance of the nature of or for the undertaking of : guarantee

6

: to serve as or give adequate ground or reason for

promising enough to warrant further consideration

Synonyms

Noun

• allowance
• authorization
• clearance
• concurrence
• consent
• granting
• green light
• leave
• license
• licence
• permission
• sanction
• sufferance

Verb

• guarantee
• guaranty

Examples of warrant in a Sentence

Noun

The police had a warrant for his arrest.

There was no warrant for such behavior.

Verb

The writing was poor, but it hardly warrants that kind of insulting criticism.

The punishment he received was not warranted.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Detectives immediately met with Macomb County prosecutors and issued a warrant for his arrest. —Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 26 Apr. 2024

The investigation resulted in six defendants being charged in three federal indictments, as well as 16 state arrest warrants to be issued against 16 people. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024

In December, two Florida middle school boys were arrested on suspicion of using an AI app to create nude photos of their classmates, who were between the ages of 12 and 13, according to an arrest warrant. —USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024

After killing his mother, Woodard walked away, the warrant stated. —Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2024

Court documents revealed that the OSBI obtained a warrant to search Adams' phone on April 1. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 24 Apr. 2024

Civil libertarians who have pursued new warrant requirements under FISA—an amendment that was dropped after a tie vote in the House of Representatives last week—argue, conversely, that the FBI should not be trusted to oversee itself in the wake of recent scandal. —Dell Cameron, WIRED, 22 Apr. 2024

The warrant records were sealed for 90 days to prevent Carr from finding out about the investigation before the investigators obtained the phone data. —Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024

The most severe infractions were: LMPD uses excessive force LMPD conducts searches based on invalid warrants, and the department executes search warrants without knocking and announcing LMPD’s street enforcement violates the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. —Rachel Smith, The Courier-Journal, 15 Apr. 2024

Verb

Despite decades of roundups, the snake population remains substantial, and, besides, snake attacks aren’t common or fatal enough to warrant yearly culls. —John Paul Brammer, The New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2024

For instance, if your child runs away from home and gets picked up by the police but hasn’t done anything to warrant juvenile detention and isn’t a suicide risk, there just aren’t a lot of places for youth to go besides right back home. —Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024

Women's health issues are often treated as an inherent part of being female, rather than conditions warranting serious attention, research, and systemic overhaul. —Maytal Eyal and Bridget Freihart, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024

Alito asked whether a protest in the courtroom would warrant charges if five people standing up to speak about Jan. 6, were removed forcibly and delayed arguments for 5 minutes. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024

Oncologists Alain Mita at Cedars-Sinai and Maria Cabanillas at MD Anderson, who had collaborated previously on patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer, determined that Clough’s form of cancer warranted treatment with Keytruda, a drug that stimulates the immune system. —Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024

By the exacting standards of the newspaper, his death wouldn’t warrant an obituary. —Sam Dolnick, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024

But the levels are not high enough to warrant a selloff in the absence of a negative catalyst, a team at the firm led by Thatte wrote in a note. —Sagarika Jaisinghani, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

The new tools are primarily designed to help engineers understand how families of orbits fit together and to prod them to look for new families where warranted; it’s not meant to substitute for the trajectory-finding techniques that have been honed over decades. —Quanta Magazine, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English waraunt protector, warrant, from Anglo-French warant, garant, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German werēnto guarantor, werēn to warrant; akin to Old High German wāra trust, care — more at very entry 2

Verb

Middle English, waranten to act as protector, guarantee, from Anglo-French warentir, garantir, from warant

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing warrant

• bench warrant
• chief warrant officer
• death warrant
• search warrant
• sign one's own death warrant
• warrant officer

Kids Definition

warrant

1 of 2 noun

war·​rant ˈwȯr-ənt 

ˈwär-

1

: evidence or a reason for thinking, deciding, or doing something : justification

2

: evidence of permission

especially : a legal paper giving an officer the power to carry out the law

3

: a certificate of appointment issued to an officer of lower rank than a commissioned officer

warrant

2 of 2 verb

1

: to declare or insist with certainty

I'll warrant they know the answer

2

: to guarantee something to be as it appears or is represented to be

3

: to give legal or official approval to : authorize

4

: to call for : require

this report warrants careful study

warrantable

-ə-bəl

adjective

warrantor

ˌwȯr-ən-ˈtȯ(ə)r

ˌwär-

-ənt-ər

noun

Legal Definition

warrant

1 of 2 noun

war·​rant ˈwȯr-ənt, ˈwär- 

1

: warranty sense 2

an implied warrant of fitness

2

: a commission or document giving authority to do something: as

a

: an order from one person (as an official) to another to pay public funds to a designated person

b

: a writ issued especially by a judicial official (as a magistrate) authorizing an officer (as a sheriff) to perform a specified act required for the administration of justice

a warrant of arrest

by warrant of commitment

— administrative warrant

: a warrant (as for an administrative search) issued by a judge upon application of an administrative agency

— anticipatory search warrant

: a search warrant that is issued on the basis of an affidavit showing probable cause that there will be certain evidence at a specific location at a future time

called also anticipatory warrant

— arrest warrant

: a warrant issued to a law enforcement officer ordering the officer to arrest and bring the person named in the warrant before the court or a magistrate

Note: A criminal arrest warrant must be issued based upon probable cause. Not all arrests require an arrest warrant.

— bench warrant

: a warrant issued by a judge for the arrest of a person who is in contempt of court or indicted

— death warrant

: a warrant issued to a warden or other prison official to carry out a sentence of death

— dispossessory warrant \ ˌdis-​pə-​ˈze-​sə-​rē-​ \

: a warrant issued to evict someone (as a lessee) from real property —used especially in Georgia

— distress warrant

: a warrant ordering the distress of property and specifying which items of property are to be distrained

— extradition warrant

: a warrant for the extradition of a fugitive

specifically : rendition warrant in this entry

— fugitive warrant

: an arrest warrant issued in one jurisdiction for someone who is a fugitive from another jurisdiction

called also fugitive from justice warrant

— general warrant

: a warrant that is unconstitutional because it fails to state with sufficient particularity the place or person to be searched or things to be seized

— material witness warrant

: a warrant issued for the arrest of a material witness to prevent the witness from fleeing without giving testimony

— no-knock search warrant

: a search warrant allowing law enforcement officers to enter premises without prior announcement in order to prevent destruction of evidence (as illegal drugs) or harm to the officers compare exigent circumstances

— rendition warrant

: a warrant issued by an official (as a governor) in one jurisdiction (as a state) for the extradition of a fugitive in that jurisdiction to another that is requesting the extradition

— search warrant

: a warrant authorizing law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a place (as a house or vehicle) or person and usually also to seize evidence

called also search and seizure warrant

Note: The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution requires that a search warrant for a criminal investigation be issued only upon a showing of probable cause, as established usually by a sworn affidavit. The search warrant has to specify the premises and persons to be searched as well as what is being searched for. Not all searches require a search warrant. Warrantless searches are permitted when they are of a kind that the courts have found to be reasonable (as by being limited) or when they are prompted by a level of suspicion or belief (as reasonable suspicion or probable cause) that is consistent with the level of intrusion of the search. Some searches have been found to be so intrusive that a court hearing is required before the search is permitted.

3

a

: a short-term obligation of a governmental body (as a municipality) issued in anticipation of revenue

b

: an instrument issued by a corporation giving to the holder the right to purchase the capital stock of the corporation at a stated price either prior to a stipulated date or at any future time

stock warrant

compare subscription

warrantless adjective

warrant

2 of 2 transitive verb

1

: to guarantee especially by giving assurances that make one liable or responsible: as

a

: to give a warranty (as of title) to

b

: to protect or assure by warranty

the warranted goods

an assignor is not liable for defaults of the obligor and does not warrant his solvency

—Restatement (Second) of Contracts

c

: to state as a warranty : guarantee to be as represented

the seller warrants that the car is without defects

expressly warranted “prior endorsements guaranteed”

—J. J. White and R. S. Summers

2

a

: to authorize by a warrant

a warranted search

b

: to serve as or give adequate reason or authorization for

warranted the awarding of attorney's fees

was not warranted by the facts

3

: to give proof of the authenticity or truth of

a formally warranted statement

Etymology

Noun

Anglo-French warant garant protector, guarantor, authority, authorization, of Germanic origin

Transitive verb

Anglo-French warentir garantir, from garant protector, guarantor