as in permissions
the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something
you cannot make a student video without your faculty advisor's sanction of its subject matter prior to shooting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in approves
to give official acceptance of as satisfactory
the administration will sanction almost any field trip with educational value
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sanctions
Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
The meeting discussed diplomatic pressure on Iran as well as sanctions if Iran continues to keep the passage closed.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 3 Apr. 2026
Orbán has aligned himself with the Kremlin — reports this week said his foreign minister tried to ease EU sanctions for Moscow’s benefit — but Hungarians generally lean toward Europe rather than Russia.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Several members of Congress have called for Mills to face severe sanctions or even expulsion, including Republicans.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Traffic through the strait has slowed to a trickle, with what remains dominated by sanctions-evading tankers carrying Iranian oil, Lloyd’s List Intelligence said in a briefing Thursday.
—Jill Lawless, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
The continent is reliant on energy imports, and is still reeling from an energy shock caused by the Russia-Ukraine war and sanctions on Russian exports.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
His secondary goal was to push for sanctions against Maduro and other high-ranking political and military officials in Venezuela after the president had cancelled the opposition’s victorious election results in the National Assembly.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Other European leaders long ago stopped discussing any security issues in the presence of Orbán himself, who has repeatedly used his veto to block European sanctions on Russia and European aid for Ukraine.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
An autocratic government that sanctions violence.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
But some agricultural organizations that represent them have stressed their businesses will be hurt too if the US sanctions South Africa.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
God never sanctions cruelty; love that harms is not love at all.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Noun
The peace deal should include restrictions on Iran nuclear capabilities and reopening the global trade artery of the Strait of Hormuz, in exchange for lifting all economic sanctions constraining Iran.
—Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
The meeting discussed diplomatic pressure on Iran as well as sanctions if Iran continues to keep the passage closed.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 3 Apr. 2026
Orbán has aligned himself with the Kremlin — reports this week said his foreign minister tried to ease EU sanctions for Moscow’s benefit — but Hungarians generally lean toward Europe rather than Russia.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Several members of Congress have called for Mills to face severe sanctions or even expulsion, including Republicans.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026
Traffic through the strait has slowed to a trickle, with what remains dominated by sanctions-evading tankers carrying Iranian oil, Lloyd’s List Intelligence said in a briefing Thursday.
—Jill Lawless, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
The continent is reliant on energy imports, and is still reeling from an energy shock caused by the Russia-Ukraine war and sanctions on Russian exports.
—Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
His secondary goal was to push for sanctions against Maduro and other high-ranking political and military officials in Venezuela after the president had cancelled the opposition’s victorious election results in the National Assembly.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Other European leaders long ago stopped discussing any security issues in the presence of Orbán himself, who has repeatedly used his veto to block European sanctions on Russia and European aid for Ukraine.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
For starters the World Cup is run by the same organization, FIFA, which sanctions virtually every level of soccer globally, from the men’s and women’s World Cups, to confederation competitions including the UEFA Championships and the Copa América, to most major age-group tournaments.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
An autocratic government that sanctions violence.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
But some agricultural organizations that represent them have stressed their businesses will be hurt too if the US sanctions South Africa.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 10 Nov. 2025
God never sanctions cruelty; love that harms is not love at all.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctions
Noun
-
The search box is prominent, and the landing screen displays common functions for automations, customization, permissions, and workflows.—
John Brandon,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Pricing and availability are unknown with various regulatory permissions pending.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ellary Tucker Williams, legislative and community engagement coordinator for the Department of Fish and Game, also testified and said the Fish and Game Commission, which approves rules and regulations for the agency, supported the bill.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Apr. 2026
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If the state approves these changes, New York City will be able to speed up too — our administration will ensure that rezoning applications can begin public review in six months or less.—
Leila Bozorg,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Insurance plans often have cost-sharing requirements and red tape such as prior authorizations that can delay or deny coverage.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
-
While authorizations with oversight conditions weren’t unusual, arriving at one under these circumstances was.—
Renee Dudley,
ProPublica,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Others feel that the treaty effectively ratifies something that already exists.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Deal to cut tariffs and ease regulatory barriers A formal signing of the deal could come later this year after officials go through the legal details of the text and the EU Parliament ratifies it.—
Rajesh Roy,
Fortune,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Failure to provide additional information or consents will be grounds for disqualification, unless prohibited under applicable law.—
Time,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Before allowing the use of advertising pixels, cookies or other tracking tools, businesses should investigate what those technologies collect, how that data will be used and what disclosures or consents are required.—
Jodi Daniels,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When a doctor's office confirms whether your insurance will cover a visit or procedure, that request often travels through systems like TriZetto.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
SpaceX serves as a signal that public markets are once again open at scale, but the math alone confirms that by the time unicorns like SpaceX, Anthropic, Stripe and Databricks go public, the exponential value creation is already gone.—
Jeffrey Stewart,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sanctions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctions. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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