warrant
Americannoun
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authorization, sanction, or justification.
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something that serves to give reliable or formal assurance of something; guarantee, pledge, or security.
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something considered as having the force of a guarantee or as being positive assurance of a thing.
The cavalry and artillery were considered sure warrants of success.
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a writing or document certifying or authorizing something, as a receipt, license, or commission.
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Law. an instrument, issued by a magistrate, authorizing an officer to make an arrest, seize property, make a search, or carry a judgment into execution.
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the certificate of authority or appointment issued to an officer of the armed forces below the rank of a commissioned officer.
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a warehouse receipt.
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a written authorization for the payment or receipt of money.
a treasury warrant.
verb (used with object)
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to give authority to; authorize.
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to give reason or sanction for; account for.
The circumstances warrant such measures.
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to give one's word for; vouch for (often used with a clause to emphasize something asserted).
I'll warrant he did!
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to give a formal assurance, or a guarantee or promise, to or for; guarantee.
to warrant someone honorable treatment; to warrant payment; to warrant safe delivery.
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to guarantee the quantity, quality, and other representations of (an article, product, etc.), as to a purchaser.
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to guarantee or secure title to (the purchaser of goods); assure indemnification against loss to.
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Law. to guarantee title of an estate or other granted property (to a grantee).
noun
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anything that gives authority for an action or decision; authorization; sanction
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a document that certifies or guarantees, such as a receipt for goods stored in a warehouse, a licence, or a commission
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law an authorization issued by a magistrate or other official allowing a constable or other officer to search or seize property, arrest a person, or perform some other specified act
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(in certain armed services) the official authority for the appointment of warrant officers
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a security that functions as a stock option by giving the owner the right to buy ordinary shares in a company at a specified date, often at a specified price
verb
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to guarantee the quality, condition, etc, of (something)
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to give authority or power to
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to attest to or assure the character, worthiness, etc, of
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to guarantee (a purchaser of merchandise) against loss of, damage to, or misrepresentation concerning the merchandise
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law to guarantee (the title to an estate or other property)
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to declare boldly and confidently
Other Word Forms
- prewarrant noun
- rewarrant verb (used with object)
- self-warranting adjective
- warrantability noun
- warrantable adjective
- warrantably adverb
- warranter noun
- warrantless adjective
Etymology
Origin of warrant
First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English warant, from Anglo-French; Old French guarant, from Germanic; compare Middle Low German warend, warent “warranty,” noun use of present participle of waren “to warrant”; (verb) Middle English, from Anglo-French warantir; Old French g(u)arantir, derivative of guarant; guaranty
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We believe the totality and durability of our data warrant continued substantive dialogue,” CEO Matt Kapusta said of the therapy.
From Barron's
More than a week later, on Friday, New Orleans Police Department issued a warrant for LaBeouf’s second arrest in connection with the incident, a spokesperson confirmed.
From Los Angeles Times
But the conditions that make such catastrophic outcomes conceivable—growing technological, geopolitical, social, and environmental instability—are aligning in ways that warrant concern.
From Barron's
But for critics, there’s an obvious downside: the potential tracking of law-abiding citizens without a warrant on a scale once thought unimaginable.
From Los Angeles Times
“The only thing you know is that search warrants have been served and executed. You don’t know why, and you don’t know what the genesis of it is,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
