as in to grant
formal + old-fashioned
to give (something) to someone as a promise or a privilege
He vouchsafed the secret to only a few chosen disciples.
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Recent Examples of vouchsafe
In a country created to vouchsafe the safety and liberty of a people persecuted for centuries, the security collapse remains a source of trauma and shame.
—
David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Democracy is a fragile achievement, a perpetual work in progress, not the sort of thing that can be vouchsafed by a trend line — and certainly not the sort of thing that technology automatically generates.
—Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
That’s why Phony Wars speaks to us in codes, an artist vouchsafing his feelings and intentions.
—Armond White, National Review, 29 Sep. 2023
Consider a test-tube example, almost ordered up to make the court’s case for it, vouchsafed by California just a few weeks ago.
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 6 July 2018
David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Democracy is a fragile achievement, a perpetual work in progress, not the sort of thing that can be vouchsafed by a trend line — and certainly not the sort of thing that technology automatically generates.
—Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
That’s why Phony Wars speaks to us in codes, an artist vouchsafing his feelings and intentions.
—Armond White, National Review, 29 Sep. 2023
Consider a test-tube example, almost ordered up to make the court’s case for it, vouchsafed by California just a few weeks ago.
—Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 6 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vouchsafe
Verb
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Stuart Jeffery, leader of the council, has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, urging the British government to introduce legislation that would grant a general pardon to those executed under the Witchcraft Act of 1562, including the women hanged at Penenden Heath in 1652.—
James Frater,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas have all granted advanced practice nurses full practice authority, while Illinois and Arkansas have granted full authority with a few restrictions.—
Meg Cunningham,
Kansas City Star,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The former first round pick in the 2024 MLB draft had a masterful outing, finishing with 12 strikeouts, which broke Don Newcombe’s rookie record for the most in a World Series start, set in 1949.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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Hank remained single throughout the series but has had brief moments of chemistry with other characters, including with Nina Chapman (Sara Bues) in season 11.—
Francesca Gariano,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Accessories — a category that Adidas executives have previously conceded needs more work — only rose 1 percent.—
Cathrin Schaer,
Footwear News,
29 Oct. 2025
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Without conceding much, Washington could stop cross-strait antagonisms from descending further and create room for a better trajectory to emerge.—
STEPHEN WERTHEIM,
Foreign Affairs,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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During that time, Ashley has said he's been working on a policy that is both strong and permits access to the courthouse complex but has acknowledged the limitations of what is legally permissible.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Because John Herschel believed that the correlation between magnetic storms and auroras revealed both to be meteorological phenomena, the new observatories would be equipped with weather instruments that, in time, would permit the first global measurements of climate change.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Authorities then discovered De Silva suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
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That is, some of the properties suffered damage during the war, but others were destroyed because the owners left the country during the conflict.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hannah, 54, writes thrillers under her own name as well as the Poirots, sanctioned by the Christie estate.—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
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Construction and engineering services firm Geotech Holdings – which has seven subsidiaries, each sanctioned by the US government – has headquarters in Kwai Chung, home to the city’s container port.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vouchsafe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vouchsafe. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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