# sanction

Pronunciation: say "SANGK-shuhn" /ˈsæŋkʃən/

## Noun

1. A penalty or coercive measure meant to ensure compliance, especially one imposed by several nations or an international body.
   - Simple: A punishment or pressure used to force a country or group to follow rules.
   - _The United Nations imposed a sanction on arms sales to the region._
   - _Economic sanctions crippled the regime's ability to finance its military._
4. Approval given by an authority, generally the kind that makes an action or arrangement valid.
   - Simple: Official approval from someone in charge that makes an action allowed or valid.
   - _The treaty took effect only after receiving royal sanction._
   - _Their marriage lacked the church's sanction and was never formally recognized._
6. A law, treaty, or contract (or a clause within one) that specifies the penalty or approval attached to compliance or violation.
   - Simple: A law or a part of a law that lays out the reward or punishment for following or breaking it.
   - _The statute's final sanction defined the fines for noncompliance._
   - _Negotiators inserted a sanction into the contract to deter breaches._

## Verb

2. To give official authorization or approval to something; to formally permit it.
   - Simple: To give official permission or approval for something.
   - _The committee sanctioned the merger after months of review._
   - _Parliament refused to sanction further spending on the project._
3. To impose penalties or coercive measures on a state or similar body, typically to force compliance.
   - Simple: To punish a country by limiting trade or other dealings with it.
   - _The coalition sanctioned the country for violating the arms agreement._
   - _Member states voted to sanction the aggressor within days of the invasion._
5. To ratify an agreement or measure, giving it formal validity.
   - Simple: To officially approve a rule or agreement so it becomes valid.
   - _The legislature sanctioned the amendment after a lengthy debate._
   - _Delegates gathered to sanction the founding charter of the new union._

## Origin

The word comes from Middle French "sanction," which in turn came from Latin "sānctiō."

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