Definitions for approve
əˈpruvap·prove

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. approve, O.K., okay, sanctionverb

   give sanction to

   "I approve of his educational policies"

2. approveverb

   judge to be right or commendable; think well of

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Approveverb

   Etymology: approuver, Fr. approbo, Lat.

   1. To like; to be pleased with.

   There can be nothing possibly evil which God approveth, and that he approveth much more than he doth command. Richard Hooker.

   What power was that, whereby Medea saw,
   And well approv’d, and prais’d the better course,
   When her rebellious sense did so withdraw
   Her feeble pow’rs, that she pursu’d the worse? Davies.

   2. To express liking.

   It is looked upon as insolence for a man to set up his own opinion against that of some learned doctor, or otherwise approved writer. John Locke.

   3. To prove; to show; to justify.

   His meaning was not, that Archimedes could simply in nothing be deceived; but that he had in such sort approved his skill, that he seemed worthy of credit for ever after, in matters appertaining to the science he was skilful in. Richard Hooker, b. ii.

   In religion,
   What damned errour, but some sober brow
   Will bless it, and approve it with a text. William Shakespeare, M. of Venice.

   I’m sorry
   That he approves the common liar, Fame,
   Who speaks him thus at Rome. William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleop.

   Would’st thou approve thy constancy? Approve
   First thy obedience. John Milton, Paradise Lost, b. ix.

   Refer all the actions of this short life to that state which will never end; and this will approve itself to be wisdom at the last, whatever the world judge of it now. John Tillotson.

   4. To experience.

   Oh, ’tis the curse in love, and still approv’d,
   When women cannot love, where they’re belov’d. William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona.

   5. To make worthy of approbation.

   The first care and concern must be to approve himself to God by righteousness, holiness, and purity. John Rogers.

   6. It has of before the object.

   I shewed you a piece of black and white stuff just sent from the dyer; which you were pleased to approve of, and be my customer for. Jonathan Swift.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. approve

   To approve means to officially agree with, accept, or give consent to something, often after careful consideration or evaluation, expressing a favorable opinion or judgment. It can also refer to the confirmation or ratification of a decision or action.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. Approveverb

   to show to be real or true; to prove

2. Approveverb

   to make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically

3. Approveverb

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

4. Approveverb

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

5. Approveverb

   to make or show to be worthy of approbation or acceptance

6. Approveverb

   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

7. Etymology: [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.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Approve

   a-prōōv′, v.t. to show, demonstrate (also reflexively): to sanction or ratify: to think well of, to be pleased with, to commend: (Shak.) to put to the trial, hence also, to convict upon proof.—v.i. to judge favourably, to be pleased (with of).—adj. Approv′able, deserving approval—ns. Approv′al, the act of approving: approbation; Approv′er, one who approves: (law) an accomplice in crime admitted to give evidence against a prisoner.—adv. Approv′ingly. [O. Fr. aprover—L. approbāre—ad, to, and probāre, to test or try—probus, good.]

2. Approve

   a-prōōv′, v.t. (law) to turn to one's profit, increase the value of. [Confused with Approve, but from O. Fr. aproer, approuer—à, to (L. ad), and pro, prou, advantage. See Prow-ess.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. approveadjective

   To give authority for

   They did approve of their wedding contract and together were united in their love for each other.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on February 29, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Authorize
   • Judge

British National Corpus

1. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'approve' in Verbs Frequency: #384

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce approve?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say approve in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of approve in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of approve in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of approve in a Sentence

1. John Boehner:

   The House legislation passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, and we do not plan to act again, so we urge the Senate to approve the House-passed bill without delay.

2. Nicos Christodoulides:

   Everyone understands that it's not possible for a state under occupation to approve a pipeline going to the occupying power.

3. Katie Greer:

   Utilizing these features will make it so that parents have to approve apps before they're installed on their kids' devices, this way, parents can gather information on apps before allowing their kids access to them, while staying active and informed on the latest and greatest (or not-so-great) apps.

4. Roberta Lynch:

   We urge the governor to stop demanding that the General Assembly approve his unrelated agenda items that would harm the middle class as a precondition to budget talks, and instead work with lawmakers to fairly fund state government and the important services it provides.

5. Donald Trump:

   EPA, you can't get things approved. I mean, people are waiting in line for 15 years before they get rejected, okay? That's why people don't want to invest in this country, ... So we're going to clean it up. We're going to speed it up and, by the way, if somebody is not doing the right thing we're not going to approve.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=approve
2. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=approve
3. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
4. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/approve
5. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=approve
6. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=approve