grant

1 of 2

verb

ˈgrant 

granted; granting; grants

transitive verb

1

a

: to consent to carry out for a person : allow fulfillment of

grant a request

b

: to permit as a right, privilege, or favor

luggage allowances granted to passengers

2

: to bestow or transfer formally

grant a scholarship to a student

specifically : to give the possession or title of by a deed

3

a

: to be willing to concede

I grant you that the house is not in perfect condition.

b

: to assume to be true

granting that you are correct

grantable

ˈgran-tə-bəl 

adjective

granter

ˈgran-tər 

noun

grantor

ˈgran-tər 

-ˌtȯr;

gran-ˈtȯr 

noun

see also take for granted

grant

2 of 2

noun

1

: the act of granting

2

: something granted

especially : a gift (as of land or money) for a particular purpose

3

a

: a transfer of property by deed or writing

b

: the instrument (see instrument entry 1 sense 5) by which such a transfer is made

also : the property so transferred

4

: a minor territorial division of Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont originally granted by the state to an individual or institution

Synonyms

Verb

• acknowledge
• admit
• agree
• allow
• concede
• confess
• fess (up)
• own (up to)

Noun

• allocation
• allotment
• annuity
• appropriation
• entitlement
• subsidy
• subvention

Choose the Right Synonym for grant

grant, concede, vouchsafe, accord, award mean to give as a favor or a right.

grant implies giving to a claimant or petitioner something that could be withheld.

granted them a new hearing

concede implies yielding something reluctantly in response to a rightful or compelling claim.

even her critics concede she can be charming

vouchsafe implies granting something as a courtesy or an act of gracious condescension.

vouchsafed the secret to only a few chosen disciples

accord implies giving to another what is due or proper.

accorded all the honors befitting a head of state

award implies giving what is deserved or merited usually after a careful weighing of pertinent factors.

awarded the company a huge defense contract

Examples of grant in a Sentence

Verb

The mayor refused to grant my request for an interview.

The court granted the motion for a new trial.

I cannot grant you that wish.

We haven't yet been granted access to the archive.

The country was granted independence in 1950.

The judge granted custody of the children to their mother.

I grant that he's a talented writer, but I just don't find his books very interesting.

The house is not perfect, I grant you that.

Noun

Her study is being funded by a federal grant.

They wrote a grant proposal to get funding for the project.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

More: States scramble after Trump's 'devastating' cuts to humanities grants A spokesperson for NEH did not return a request for more information. —Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025

In short, these businesses granted the IRS a 15.3% profit share in their business. —Cindy McGhee, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Noun

David Walt, a professor at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Womens’ Hospital who develops diagnostics, was told April 14, the same day as the Harvard announcement, that his federal grant worth $300,000 a year was immediately terminated. —Karen Weintraub, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025

Which of these was in her bag? 7 of 11 What did Harvard do this week after Trump froze $2 billion in existing grants? 8 of 11 The executive producer of which news program resigned, citing encroachments on his journalistic independence? —New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French granter, graanter, from Vulgar Latin *credentare, from Latin credent-, credens, present participle of credere to believe — more at creed

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing grant

• block grant
• give/grant/do interviews
• grant/deny access to
• grant-in-aid
• land grant

Rhymes for grant

• ant
• aunt
• cant
• chant
• gant
• lant
• pant
• plant
• quant
• rant
• sant
• scant

Kids Definition

grant

1 of 2 verb

ˈgrant 

1

a

: to consent to : permit

grant your request

b

: to permit as a right, privilege, or favor

granted them a day off for volunteer work

2

: to give the possession or benefit of formally or legally

the king granted land to the settlers

3

: to admit something not yet proved to be true

granted you are right, you must still pay for the damage

granter

-ər 

noun

grantor

ˈgrant-ər  grant-ˈȯr 

noun

grant

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act of granting

2

: something granted: as

a

: a gift (as of money or land) for a particular purpose

a research grant

b

: an area of land granted by a government

Legal Definition

grant

1 of 2 transitive verb

1

: to permit as a right or privilege

grant a new trial

the Supreme Court granted certiorari

2

: to bestow or transfer formally

specifically : to transfer the possession or title of by a deed : convey

grant

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act of granting

2

: something granted

especially : a gift (as of land or money) for a particular purpose

3

a

: a transfer of property by deed or writing

b

: the instrument by which such a transfer is made

also : the property so transferred

Biographical Definition

Grant 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈgrant 

Cary 1904–1986 originally Archibald Alexander Leach American (British-born) actor

Grant

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Ulysses S. 1822–1885 originally Hiram Ulysses Grant American general; 18th president of the U.S. (1869–77)