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

• admit
• confess
• acknowledge
• concede
• agree

Noun

• subsidy
• allotment
• appropriation
• assistance

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

China, which mines about 60% of the Earth’s rare earth mineral supply and has sparred with President Donald Trump over his sweeping tariff policies, recently granted rare earth export permits for the U.S. with the exception of military uses. —Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025

Malone, notably, granted McGuirk a proxy to vote on his 887,079 Series B common stock shares (44% of the company’s voting power) last year. —Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 15 July 2025

Noun

So far, no one has publicly called for GM to return any of the grant money, though the agreement contains provisions that if the company was to violate the terms, the state has the right to clawback the funds, according to GM. —Jackie Charniga, Freep.com, 15 July 2025

The grants were first established in a law passed in 1965, according to the lawsuit. —Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 15 July 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)