Definition of "sanction" in English

noun

1. An approval, by an authority, generally one that makes something valid.

   • The whalers had been operating in the contested waters off the island with sanction from the Japanese government.

2. (chiefly in the plural) A penalty, punishment, or some coercive measure, intended to ensure compliance; especially one adopted by several nations, or by an international body.

   • The United States enacted a new round of sanctions against the apartheid regime of South Africa.

3. A law, treaty, or contract, or a clause within a law, treaty, or contract, specifying any of the above.

verb

1. (transitive) To ratify; to make valid.

2. (transitive) To give official authorization or approval to; to countenance.

   • The school's inaction further sanctions this misbehavior.

3. (transitive) To penalize (a state etc.) with sanctions.