# approve

Pronunciation: say "uh-PROOV" /əˈpɹuːv/

## Verb

1. To officially sanction or confirm something, accepting it as satisfactory.
   - Simple: To officially say yes to something, like a plan or request.
   - _Regulators must approve the drug before it can be sold._
   - _The board approved the merger after months of review._
2. To regard something or someone as good; to commend or think well of it.
   - Simple: To think that something or someone is good.
   - _Most teachers approve methods that keep students engaged._
   - _She approved his decision to leave the firm._
3. To consider someone or something worthy; to be pleased with or accept it.
   - Simple: To feel that someone or something is good or right.
   - _Voters generally approve of policies that lower their taxes._
   - _Her father never approved of her career in theater._
4. To convert land, especially waste or common land, to one's own profit, as a manorial lord might appropriate it.
   - Simple: To take common or unused land and use it for your own profit.
   - _The manor lord approved several acres of common ground, enclosing them for pasture._
   - _Tenants protested when the baron tried to approve the marsh they had long grazed._

## Verb

5. To make proof of something; to demonstrate or prove it practically. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To prove or show that something is true by putting it to the test.
   - _He approved his loyalty through years of faithful service._
   - _Such deeds approve a man's worth more surely than any words._
6. To show someone or something to be worthy; to demonstrate the merits of it. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To show that someone or something deserves praise or trust.
   - _He approved himself a loyal friend during the family's hardest years._
   - _Recruits must approve themselves before they earn the trust of the company._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 5–6** — This sense comes from Latin 'approbo', formed from 'ad' plus 'probo' ("to esteem as good, approve, prove"). It reached English through Old French 'aprover' and Middle English 'aproven'. It is a doublet of 'approbate'.
**Meaning 4** — This sense comes from Middle English 'approuen', from Old French 'aprouer', built on 'a-' plus a form apparently derived from the 'pro, prod' in Latin 'prosum' ("be useful or profitable"). Compare 'improve'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/approve (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).