authorize
verb
au·tho·rize
ˈȯ-thə-ˌrīz 
authorized; authorizing; authorizes
1
: to endorse, empower, justify, or permit by or as if by some recognized or proper authority (such as custom, evidence, personal right, or regulating power)
a custom authorized by time
2
: to invest especially with legal authority : empower
He is authorized to act for his father.
3
archaic
: justify sense 1a
authorizer
noun
Examples of authorize in a Sentence
The city council authorized the sale of the land.
Who authorized the transfer of the funds?
Recent Examples on the Web
After former President Joe Biden's administration released an initial $60 million in emergency funds in the days following the disaster, a stopgap spending bill passed in December authorized federal funds to cover the cost of the replacement.
—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2025
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed an order authorizing National Guard troops deployed in Washington, D.C. to carry weapons if their mission requires it, according to a person familiar with the matter.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2025
The show of force was so obviously an authoritarian flex that Newsom filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding to know who authorized what and why.
—Gustavo Arellano, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2025
The board’s bylaws state only the chair or someone authorized by the chair can call a meeting, so any decisions made during that meeting and subsequent meetings held after are invalid, the injunction states.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for authorize
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Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2025
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed an order authorizing National Guard troops deployed in Washington, D.C. to carry weapons if their mission requires it, according to a person familiar with the matter.
—Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2025
The show of force was so obviously an authoritarian flex that Newsom filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding to know who authorized what and why.
—Gustavo Arellano, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2025
The board’s bylaws state only the chair or someone authorized by the chair can call a meeting, so any decisions made during that meeting and subsequent meetings held after are invalid, the injunction states.
—Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for authorize
Cite this Entry
“Authorize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/authorize. Accessed 29 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
authorize
verb
au·tho·rize
ˈȯ-thə-ˌrīz
authorized; authorizing
1
: to give authority to
2
: to give legal or official approval to
authorization
noun
ˌȯ-th(ə-)rə-ˈzā-shən
authorizer
noun
ˈȯ-thə-ˌrī-zər
Legal Definition
authorize
transitive verb
au·tho·rize
ˈȯ-thə-ˌrīz
authorized; authorizing
1
: to give permission to
2
: to give authority to act to
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