noun
sanction
SANGK-shuhn
noun
1
Official approval or permission for an action.
"The project went ahead with the full sanction of the board."
2
A penalty imposed to enforce compliance, especially by one country against another.
"The UN imposed sanctions on the regime after the invasion."
verb
1
To officially approve or authorize.
"The council sanctioned the new building plans."
2
To penalize, especially a country or organization, in order to force compliance.
"Several nations sanctioned the company for its role in the scandal."
How to Use Sanction
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishConfusingly, this word can mean either "approve" or "punish" — the meaning depends entirely on context.
Common mistake
A rare case where the noun and verb senses point in almost opposite directions: "to sanction" someone usually means to punish them, while "a sanction" as approval is the older, more formal sense.
Common pairings
impose sanctions
economic sanctions
official sanction
Word Forms
sanctioned past tense, sanctions plural, sanctions singular
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The project went ahead with the full _____ of the board.
Etymology
From Latin sanctio, related to sanctus ("holy" or "binding") — originally a solemn decree.