WordValesanction
a penalty imposed to force compliance, often economic
In more detail
1. (noun) an official punishment or penalty imposed on a person or country
2. (verb) to officially allow or approve something
3. (verb) to punish officially or impose a penalty on
Examples
- 1. The government imposed economic sanctions on the country for violating international law.
- 2. The committee sanctioned the new policy after careful review.
- 3. The school sanctioned the student for cheating on the exam.
How to use sanction
Sanction has two quite different meanings: as a noun or verb meaning to penalize or enforce consequences (typically used in international or institutional contexts), and as a verb meaning to give official permission or approval (more formal and less common in everyday speech). Context usually makes the intended meaning clear, though the approval sense can create confusion since it's opposite in meaning to the penalty sense. The penalty meaning is far more prevalent in modern English.
Common phrases
- impose sanctions
- lift sanctions
- economic sanctions
- trade sanctions
- official sanction
- under sanctions
Synonyms
penalty · punishment · approval · authorization · endorsement
Opposites
prohibition · disapproval
Word family
sanctioned · sanctioning · sanctions
A common mistake
Learners often assume sanction always means to approve or allow, not realizing it more frequently means to impose a penalty, especially in political and legal discourse. The dual meaning can lead to misinterpretation of sentences like 'the government sanctioned the protests' (meaning punished them, not approved them).
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