Definition of SANCTION

sanction

Plural: sanctions

Noun

  • formal and explicit approval
  • a mechanism of social control for enforcing a society's standards
  • official permission or approval
  • the act of final authorization
    • "it had the sanction of the church"
  • An approval, by an authority, generally one that makes something valid.
  • A penalty, punishment, or some coercive measure, intended to ensure compliance; especially one adopted by several nations, or by an international body.
  • A law, treaty, or contract, or a clause within a law, treaty, or contract, specifying any of the above.

Verb

Verb Forms: sanctioned, sanctioning, sanctions

  • To give official permission or approval for an action; to authorize.
  • give sanction to
  • give authority or permission to
  • give religious sanction to, such as through on oath
  • To ratify; to make valid.
  • To give official authorization or approval to; to countenance.
  • To penalize (a state etc.) with sanctions.

Examples

  • The rules SANCTION playing words that extend existing words on the board.
  • The United States enacted a new round of sanctions against the apartheid regime of South Africa.
  • The whalers had been operating in the contested waters off the island with sanction from the Japanese government.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle French sanction, from Latin sānctiō.

Scrabble Score: 10

sanction: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
sanction: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
sanction: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

sanction: valid Words With Friends Word