as in official
ordered or allowed by those in authority
I cannot believe that this religious cult is a sanctioned student organization
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in approved
to give official acceptance of as satisfactory
the administration will sanction almost any field trip with educational value
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sanctioned
Susan Caminiti, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
The filmmakers escaped during a sanctioned trip to Europe in 1986, eventually settling in the United States.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
The sanctioned vessel, called the Marinera, had fled the American blockade of Venezuela last month.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 8 Jan. 2026
The sanctioned tanker was recently reflagged to become a Russian vessel.
—Ashley Carnahan , Jennifer Griffin , Lucas Y. Tomlinson, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
One vessel was seized in the Caribbean while allegedly transporting Venezuelan crude, highlighting Washington’s efforts to prevent sanctioned oil from reaching international markets.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
As a result, some sanctioned tankers began to divert away from the South American country.
—Konstantin Toropin, Twin Cities, 29 Dec. 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the crude oil tanker was used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
Some sanctioned tankers already are diverting away from Venezuela.
—Konstantin Toropin, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2025
Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
He was sanctioned by the European Union in 2019 in connection with the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England with the nerve agent Novichok.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
In Tennyson’s youth, geologists amassed evidence in support of the proposition, first floated in the previous century, that the age of the earth was not measurable in the familiar and Biblically sanctioned sum of thousands of years but, rather, in untold billions.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
He was also sanctioned by the European Union in January 2019 following a nerve agent attack in Salisbury, England, which the British government said was carried out by GRU agents to poison a former Russian spy.
—Cnn's Tim Lister, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
But in just the past two years, two different telehealth practices have been sanctioned for inappropriately prescribing stimulants.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
The European Union also sanctioned him over the 2018 poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
For example, Petr Gumennik, a figure skater, has recently worked with and been coached by Ilya Averbukh, who has been sanctioned by Ukraine.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 6 Feb. 2026
None of us are qualified to coordinate a citywide effort to resist a heavily armed and federally-sanctioned squad of sociopaths, unleashed with total impunity upon everyday citizens.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
The organization operates a captive insurance company that provides player accident coverage for members participating in sanctioned events.
—Susan Caminiti, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
The filmmakers escaped during a sanctioned trip to Europe in 1986, eventually settling in the United States.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
The sanctioned vessel, called the Marinera, had fled the American blockade of Venezuela last month.
—Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 8 Jan. 2026
The sanctioned tanker was recently reflagged to become a Russian vessel.
—Ashley Carnahan , Jennifer Griffin , Lucas Y. Tomlinson, FOXNews.com, 7 Jan. 2026
One vessel was seized in the Caribbean while allegedly transporting Venezuelan crude, highlighting Washington’s efforts to prevent sanctioned oil from reaching international markets.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
As a result, some sanctioned tankers began to divert away from the South American country.
—Konstantin Toropin, Twin Cities, 29 Dec. 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the crude oil tanker was used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
Some sanctioned tankers already are diverting away from Venezuela.
—Konstantin Toropin, Fortune, 21 Dec. 2025
Verb
The walkout was not school-sanctioned but students spoke in advance with Principal Rob Coppo about their right to protest and with the San Diego Police Department.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
He was sanctioned by the European Union in 2019 in connection with the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England with the nerve agent Novichok.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
In Tennyson’s youth, geologists amassed evidence in support of the proposition, first floated in the previous century, that the age of the earth was not measurable in the familiar and Biblically sanctioned sum of thousands of years but, rather, in untold billions.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
He was also sanctioned by the European Union in January 2019 following a nerve agent attack in Salisbury, England, which the British government said was carried out by GRU agents to poison a former Russian spy.
—Cnn's Tim Lister, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
But in just the past two years, two different telehealth practices have been sanctioned for inappropriately prescribing stimulants.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
The European Union also sanctioned him over the 2018 poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 7 Feb. 2026
For example, Petr Gumennik, a figure skater, has recently worked with and been coached by Ilya Averbukh, who has been sanctioned by Ukraine.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 6 Feb. 2026
None of us are qualified to coordinate a citywide effort to resist a heavily armed and federally-sanctioned squad of sociopaths, unleashed with total impunity upon everyday citizens.
—Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctioned
Adjective
-
Officials did not release details, but the agency cautioned that the victims' official cause and manner of deaths remain pending autopsy results from the local medical examiner's office.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Emails included in the files show Andrew sent details of his official trade envoy trips in Singapore, Vietnam, Shenzhen in China and Hong Kong to Epstein in 2010.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Federal funding for the project was initially approved by former President Joe Biden's administration.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
-
His administration is now facing a lawsuit to free up the funding already approved by Congress.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Residents without access to off-street parking may move their vehicles to one of the authorized parking areas including Blue Light Lots, City parks, and City Recreation and Senior Centers.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Anyone willing to spend the big bucks on a Super Bowl ticket should only make purchases through authorized sites, like the NFL, or reputable resale sites with buyer guarantees and other consumer protections, the JEC advised.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The union ratified a new contract covering 2,400 mental health and addiction medicine employees in Southern California last year, but negotiations continue for Marcucci-Morris and other Northern California mental health workers.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The cuts arrive less than six years after the museum eliminated more than a hundred jobs through voluntary early retirement and layoffs, and four years after unionized employees ratified their first contract with the institution under the auspices of United Auto Workers 2110.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fulton County has also confirmed that some ballots were scanned multiple times during the recount, the affidavit says.—
Kate Brumback,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Alvin Peer was confirmed to a five-year term on the Little Rock housing authority's board of commissioners on Tuesday.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sanctioned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctioned. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
