AUTHORISE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does authorise mean? 

• AUTHORISE (verb)
  The verb AUTHORISE has 2 senses:

1. give or delegate power or authority to

2. grant authorization or clearance for

  Familiarity information: AUTHORISE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• AUTHORISE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they authorise    ... he / she / it authorises   
Past simple: authorised   
Past participle: authorised   
-ing form: authorising   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Give or delegate power or authority to

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

authorise; authorize; empower

Context example:

She authorized her assistant to sign the papers

Hypernyms (to "authorise" is one way to...):

appoint; charge (assign a duty, responsibility or obligation to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "authorise"):

entitle (give the right to)

sanction (give authority or permission to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 2

Meaning:

Grant authorization or clearance for

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

authorise; authorize; clear; pass

Context example:

The rock star never authorized this slanderous biography

Hypernyms (to "authorise" is one way to...):

allow; countenance; let; permit (consent to, give permission)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "authorise"):

approbate (approve or sanction officially)

certificate (authorize by certificate)

approve; O.K.; okay; sanction (give sanction to)

declare (authorize payments of)

certify; licence; license (authorize officially)

commission (charge with a task)

formalise; formalize; validate (declare or make legally valid)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Derivation:

authorisation (the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant)

authorisation (official permission or approval)

authoriser (an authority who authorizes (people or actions))

 Context examples 

Mrs. Ferrars came to inspect the happiness which she was almost ashamed of having authorised; and even the Dashwoods were at the expense of a journey from Sussex to do them honour.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

Married women, you know, may be safely authorised.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Her ideas are not higher than her own fortune may warrant, but they are beyond what our incomes united could authorise.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

At any rate, she cannot grow many degrees worse, without authorising us to lock her up for the rest of her life.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Your feelings may be the strongest, replied Anne, but the same spirit of analogy will authorise me to assert that ours are the most tender.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Still Mrs. Elton insisted on being authorised to write an acquiescence by the morrow's post.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

To be distinguished for elegance and accomplishments, the authorised object of their youth, could have had no useful influence that way, no moral effect on the mind.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Mr. Darcy has not authorised me to make his communication public.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

This picture, she had allowed herself to believe, might have been accidentally obtained; it might not have been Edward's gift; but a correspondence between them by letter, could subsist only under a positive engagement, could be authorised by nothing else; for a few moments, she was almost overcome—her heart sunk within her, and she could hardly stand; but exertion was indispensably necessary; and she struggled so resolutely against the oppression of her feelings, that her success was speedy, and for the time complete.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

It succeeded, however; and though Sir Walter must ever look with an evil eye on anyone intending to inhabit that house, and think them infinitely too well off in being permitted to rent it on the highest terms, he was talked into allowing Mr Shepherd to proceed in the treaty, and authorising him to wait on Admiral Croft, who still remained at Taunton, and fix a day for the house being seen.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)