1. Give permission or approval for something
   "I will sanction his educational policies";
   - approve, O.K., okay, green-light, greenlight, OK
    
2. Give authority or permission to
   "The committee sanctioned the proposed changes to the bylaws"
    
3. Give religious sanction to, such as through an oath
   "sanction the marriage";
   - sanctify
    
4. Impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on
   "The committee sanctioned the athlete for doping";
   - punish, penalize, penalise [Brit]

1. Formal and explicit approval
   "a Democrat usually gets the union's sanction";
   - countenance, endorsement, indorsement, warrant, imprimatur
    
2. Official permission or approval
   "sanction for the program was renewed several times";
   - authority, authorization, authorisation [Brit], clearance
    
3. The act of final authorization
   "it had the sanction of the church"
    
4. A mechanism of social control for enforcing a society's standards
   "The threat of sanctions helped maintain order in the community"
    
5. A negative consequence imposed for breaking a rule, law, or agreement
   "The judge handed down a severe sanction for the crime";
   - punishment, penalty, penalization, penalisation [Brit]

Derived forms: sanctioned, sanctioning, sanctions

Type of: approval, authorisation [Brit], authorise [Brit], authorization, authorize, bring down, clear, commendation, empower, empowerment, impose, inflict, obtrude, pass, permission, social control, visit

Encyclopedia: Sanction, Pragmatic