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approve. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
approve, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
approve in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
approve you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English aproven, appreoven, appreven, apreven, borrowed from Old French aprover, approver, approuvir, appreuver (“to approve”), from Latin approbō, from ad + probō (“to esteem as good, approve, prove”). Doublet of approbate. Compare prove.
Verb
approve (third-person singular simple present approves, present participle approving, simple past and past participle approved)
- (transitive) To officially sanction; to ratify; to confirm; to set as satisfactory.
2013 August 10, “Can China clean up fast enough?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:It has jailed environmental activists and is planning to limit the power of judicial oversight by handing a state-approved body a monopoly over bringing environmental lawsuits.
Although we may disagree with it, we must nevertheless approve the sentence handed down by the court-martial.
- (transitive) To regard as good; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of.
We approve the measure of the administration, for it is an excellent decision.
- (transitive, archaic) To make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically.
1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession Of James II:He had approved himself a great warrior.
- 1812-1818, Lord Byron, Child Harolde's Piligrimage
- 'T is an old lesson; Time approves it true.
1764, Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto, section III:He had long burned with impatience to approve his valour.
- (intransitive, followed by "of") To consider worthy (to); to be pleased (with); to accept.
Her mother never approves of any of her boyfriends. She thinks nobody is good enough for her little girl.
2016, Mitski, Your Best American Girl:Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me. But I do, I think I do. And you're an all-American boy
1995, The Verve, A Northern Soul:Dad didn't approve of me, do you? I'm alive with something inside of me.
1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession Of James II:They had not approved of the deposition of James.
1758, Jonathan Swift, The History of the Four Last Years of the Queen:Their address was in the most dutiful manner, approving of what her majesty had done toward a peace, and dissolve her parliament
- (archaic, transitive, usually with a reflexive pronoun) To show to be worthy; to demonstrate the merits of.
a. 1729, John Rogers, The Duty and Advantageous of Trust in God:The first care and concern must be to approve himself to God.
Conjugation
Derived terms
Translations
to sanction officially; to ratify; to confirm; as, to approve the decision of a court-martial
- Albanian: miratoj (sq)
- Arabic: صَدَّقَ (ṣaddaqa), وَافَقَ (wāfaqa)
- Armenian: հաստատել (hy) (hastatel)
- Azerbaijani: təsdiq etmək (az), təsdiqləmək (az)
- Basque: onetsi
- Belarusian: ухваля́ць impf (uxvaljácʹ), ухвалі́ць pf (uxvalícʹ), адабра́ць impf (adabrácʹ), адо́брыць pf (adóbrycʹ)
- Bulgarian: утвържда́вам impf (utvǎrždávam), утвърдя́ pf (utvǎrdjá), одобря́вам (bg) impf (odobrjávam), одобря́ pf (odobrjá)
- Catalan: aprovar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 批准 (pai1 zeon2)
- Mandarin: 批准 (zh) (pīzhǔn), 贊成/赞成 (zh) (zànchéng)
- Czech: schvalovat (cs) impf, schválit (cs) pf
- Danish: godkende (da)
- Dutch: goedkeuren (nl)
- Esperanto: aprobi (eo)
- Estonian: heaks kiitma (et)
- Finnish: hyväksyä (fi), vahvistaa (fi), antaa suostumus
- French: approuver (fr)
- Georgian: მოწონება (moc̣oneba), დადასტურება (dadasṭureba), დამტკიცება (damṭḳiceba), სანქციონირება (sankcionireba), სანქცირება (sankcireba)
- German: billigen (de), genehmigen (de)
- Greek: εγκρίνω (el) (egkríno)
- Ancient: δοκιμάζω (dokimázō), ἐγκρίνω (enkrínō)
- Hebrew: אִשֵּׁר (he) (ishér)
- Hindi: अनुमोदन करना (anumodan karnā)
- Hungarian: jóváhagy (hu), engedélyez (hu), elfogad (hu), hozzájárul (hu)
- Italian: approvare (it)
- Japanese: 承認する (ja) (しょうにんする, shōnin suru), 賛成する (ja) (さんせいする, sansei suru)
- Kazakh: мақұлдау (maqūldau), бекіту (bekıtu)
- Khmer: យល់ព្រម (yŭəl prɔɔm)
- Korean: 승인하다 (ko) (seung'inhada), 찬성하다 (ko) (chanseonghada)
- Kyrgyz: бекитүү (ky) (bekitüü)
- Lao: ອະນຸມັດ (ʼa nu mat)
- Latin: approbō (la), consciscō, (Late) ratihabeo
- Latvian: apstiprināt
- Lithuanian: patvirtinti (lt), pritarti (lt)
- Macedonian: одобрува impf (odobruva), одобри pf (odobri)
- Maori: ohia
- Mongolian:
- Cyrillic: зөвшөөрөх (mn) (zövšööröx)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: godkjenne
- Persian: تصویب کردن (fa) (tasvib kardan)
- Polish: zatwierdzać (pl) impf, zatwierdzić (pl) pf
- Portuguese: aprovar (pt), sancionar (pt)
- Romanian: a aproba (ro)
- Russian: утвержда́ть (ru) impf (utverždátʹ), утверди́ть (ru) pf (utverdítʹ), одобря́ть (ru) impf (odobrjátʹ), одо́брить (ru) pf (odóbritʹ)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: одобра́вати impf, одо̀брити pf
- Roman: odobrávati (sh) impf, odòbriti (sh) pf
- Slovak: schvaľovať impf, schváliť pf
- Slovene: odobravati impf, odobriti pf
- Spanish: aprobar (es), sancionar (es)
- Swedish: godkänna (sv)
- Tajik: тасвиб кардан (tasvib kardan), маъкул донистан (maʾkul donistan), тасдиқ кардан (tg) (tasdiq kardan), таҳсин кардан (tahsin kardan)
- Thai: อนุมัติ (th) (à-nú-mát)
- Turkish: onaylamak (tr)
- Ukrainian: схва́лювати impf (sxváljuvaty), схвали́ти pf (sxvalýty), затве́рджувати impf (zatvérdžuvaty), затве́рдити pf (zatvérdyty)
- Urdu: تَوثِیق کَرنا (tausīq karnā)
- Uzbek: maʼqul topmoq, maʻqullamoq
- Vietnamese: phê duyệt (vi)
- Welsh: cymeradwyo (cy)
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to regard as good; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of
- Arabic: اِسْتَحَسَنَ (istaḥasana), وَافَقَ (wāfaqa), رَضِيَ (raḍiya)
- Armenian: please add this translation if you can
- Basque: onetsi
- Belarusian: ухваля́ць impf (uxvaljácʹ), ухвалі́ць pf (uxvalícʹ), адабра́ць impf (adabrácʹ), адо́брыць pf (adóbrycʹ)
- Bulgarian: одобря́вам (bg) impf (odobrjávam), одобря́ pf (odobrjá)
- Catalan: aprovar (ca)
- Czech: schvalovat (cs) impf, schválit (cs) pf
- Danish: godkende (da)
- Dutch: goedkeuren (nl)
- Esperanto: aprobi (eo)
- Finnish: hyväksyä (fi), suvaita (fi)
- French: approuver (fr)
- Georgian: მოწონება (moc̣oneba)
- German: gutheißen (de), billigen (de)
- Greek: εγκρίνω (el) (egkríno)
- Ancient: δοκιμάζω (dokimázō)
- Hungarian: helyesel (hu), támogat (hu)
- Khmer: please add this translation if you can
- Latin: approbō (la), ratihabeo
- Macedonian: одобрува impf (odobruva), одобри pf (odobri)
- Maori: ohia
- Mongolian:
- Cyrillic: сайшаах (mn) (sajšaax)
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: godkjenne
- Ottoman Turkish: بگنمك (beğenmek)
- Polish: pochwalać (pl) impf, aprobować (pl) impf, zaaprobować (pl) pf
- Portuguese: aprovar (pt)
- Russian: одобря́ть (ru) impf (odobrjátʹ), одо́брить (ru) pf (odóbritʹ)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: одобра́вати impf, одо̀брити pf
- Roman: odobrávati (sh) impf, odòbriti (sh) pf
- Slovak: schvaľovať impf, schváliť pf
- Slovene: odobravati impf, odobriti pf
- Spanish: ver con buenos ojos
- Swedish: godkänna (sv)
- Thai: เห็นด้วย (th) (hěn-dûai)
- Ukrainian: схва́лювати impf (sxváljuvaty), схвали́ти pf (sxvalýty)
- Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
- Welsh: cymeradwyo (cy)
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(archaic in English) to make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically
to make or show to be worthy of approbation or acceptance
(archaic in English) to show to be worthy; to demonstrate the merits of
Etymology 2
From Middle English approuen, approven, from Old French aprouer; a- + a form apparently derived from the pro, prod, in Latin prōsum (“be useful or profitable”). Compare with improve.
Verb
approve (third-person singular simple present approves, present participle approving, simple past and past participle approved)
- (transitive, law, English law) To make profit of; to convert to one's own profit — said especially of waste or common land appropriated by the lord of the manor.
References
Portuguese
Verb
approve
- inflection of approvar:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative