approve definition | Dictionary.com

ap⋅prove

[uh-proov]

verb, -proved, -prov⋅ing.

–verb (used with object)

1.	to speak or think favorably of; pronounce or consider agreeable or good; judge favorably: to approve the policies of the administration.

2.	to consent or agree to: Father approved our plan to visit Chicago.

3.	to confirm or sanction formally; ratify: The Senate promptly approved the bill.

Obsolete.

a.	to demonstrate; show.

b.	to make good; attest.

c.	to prove by trial.

d.	to convict.

–verb (used without object)

5.	to speak or consider favorably (sometimes fol. by of): Mother didn't approve of him. The boss wouldn't approve of the plan. He said that he approved.

Origin:
1300–50; ME a(p)proven < AF, OF aprover < L approbāre, equiv. to ap- ap- ¹ + probāre to prove

Related forms:

ap⋅prov⋅ed⋅ly, adverb

ap⋅prov⋅ed⋅ness, noun

ap⋅prov⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. appreciate, esteem. Approve, commend, praise mean to have, and usually to express, a favorable opinion. To approve is to have a very good opinion, expressed or not, of someone or something: He approved the new plan. To commend is to speak or write approv-ingly, often formally and publicly, to congratulate or honor for something done: to commend a worker for a job well done. To praise is to speak or write, often in glowing and emotional terms, about one or more persons, actions, plans, etc.: to praise someone's courage. 2, 3. authorize, endorse, validate.

Antonyms:
2, 3. reject.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To approve

ap·prove (ə-prōōv')

v. ap·proved, ap·prov·ing, ap·proves

v. tr.

To consider right or good; think or speak favorably of.
To consent to officially or formally; confirm or sanction: The Senate approved the treaty.
Obsolete To prove or attest.

v. intr.
To show, feel, or express approval: didn't approve of the decision.

[Middle English approven, from Old French aprover, from Latin approbāre : ad-, ad- + probāre, to test (from probus, good; see per¹ in Indo-European roots).]
ap·prov'a·ble adj., ap·prov'ing·ly adv.

Synonyms: These verbs mean to express a favorable opinion or to signify satisfaction or acceptance. Approve means to consider right or good, but it can also denote official consent: "The colonel or commanding officer approves the sentence of a regimental court-martial" (Charles James).
Endorse implies the public expression of support: The senator endorsed the candidate by issuing a press release.
Sanction usually implies official authorization: The privilege of voting is a right sanctioned by law.
Certify and accredit imply official approval based on compliance with requirements or standards: "The proper officers, comparing every article with its voucher, certified them to be right" (Benjamin Franklin). The board of education will accredit only institutions that have a sufficiently rigorous curriculum.
To ratify is to invest officially with legal authority: "Amendments . . . shall be valid . . . when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States" (U.S. Constitution, Article V).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Approve

Ap*prove"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Approved; p. pr. & vb. n. Approving.] [OE. aproven, appreven, to prove, OF. aprover, F. approuver, to approve, fr. L. approbare; ad + probare to esteem as good, approve, prove. See Prove, and cf. Approbate.]

1. To show to be real or true; to prove. [Obs.]

Wouldst thou approve thy constancy? Approve First thy obedience. --Milton.

2. To make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically.

Opportunities to approve . . . worth. --Emerson.

He had approved himself a great warrior. --Macaulay.

'T is an old lesson; Time approves it true. --Byron.

His account . . . approves him a man of thought. --Parkman.

3. To sanction officially; to ratify; to confirm; as, to approve the decision of a court-martial.

4. To regard as good; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of; as, we approve the measured of the administration.

5. To make or show to be worthy of approbation or acceptance.

The first care and concern must be to approve himself to God. --Rogers.

Note: This word, when it signifies to be pleased with, to think favorably (of), is often followed by of.

They had not approved of the deposition of James. --Macaulay.

They approved of the political institutions. --W. Black.

Approve

Ap*prove"\ ([a^]p*pr[=oo]v"), v. t. [OF. aprouer; a (L. ad) + a form apparently derived fr. the pro, prod, in L. prodest it is useful or profitable, properly the preposition pro for. Cf. Improve.] (Eng. Law) To make profit of; to convert to one's own profit; -- said esp. of waste or common land appropriated by the lord of the manor.

Language Translation for : approve

Spanish: aprobar; tener un buen concepto de,

German: gutheißen,

Japanese: よいと思う

More Translations »

approve

1340, "to attest (something) with authority," from O.Fr. aprover, from L. approbare "to assent to as good, regard as good," from ad- "to" + probare "to try, test something (to find if it is good)," from probus "honest, genuine" (see prove). The meaning extended c.1380 to "show (something) to be good," then to "assent to (something) as good" (1413), especially in ref. to authorities, parliaments, etc.

Main Entry: ap·prove
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: ap·proved; ap·prov·ing
: to give formal or official sanction to : RATIFY approved the proposed budget>

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