Meaning of sanction in English | Powered by Free Dictionary API

noun

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

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

• A penalty, punishment, or some coercive measure, intended to ensure compliance; especially one adopted by several nations, or by an international body.

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

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

verb

• To ratify; to make valid.

• To give official authorization or approval to; to countenance.

• To penalize (a State etc.) with sanctions.