authorization

noun

au·​tho·​ri·​za·​tion ˌȯ-th(ə-)rə-ˈzā-shən 

1

: the act of authorizing

2

: an instrument that authorizes : sanction

Synonyms of authorization

• permission
• consent
• granting

Examples of authorization in a Sentence

you will need the authorization of the council before you can act

his authorization to go ahead with the project was finally given

Recent Examples on the Web

Congress is close to enacting a two-year authorization of Medicare telehealth services for older adults, renewing pandemic-era coverage in the nation’s largest government health insurance program. —Bruce Japsen, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Which leads us to the question of authorization — and whether now is the right time. —Sara Lind, New York Daily News, 23 Jan. 2026

The city completed design and permitting under an emergency authorization and began construction in late summer 2025. —News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026

That ecosystem is being threatened, the letter notes, due to AI developers scraping creative work, often without authorization, compensation or transparency. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English auctorisation "legal validation of a document," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French auctorisacion "authorization," borrowed from Medieval Latin auctōrizātiōn-, auctōrizātiō "recognition as authoritative, authorization," from auctōrizāre "to authorize" + Latin -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing authorization

• emergency use authorization
• pre-authorization

Rhymes for authorization

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration