as in approval
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in approving
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sanctioning
Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
The sanctioning of high school sports is critical to allow student-athletes to safely participate in sports without the risk of exploitation.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
There is increasing international condemnation and sanctioning of some of the government’s more prominent members who are accused of using genocidal language against the Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere.
—Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 23 Aug. 2025
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Apr. 2026
The sanctioning body pulled the plug early Saturday after overnight rain continued into the early morning hours.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Motorsports sanctioning bodies and manufacturers continually work to improve safety measures, to better protect competitors, spectators, track personnel and others every time racers strap on their helmets, buckle their safety belts, take to the track and compete.
—Jan Wagner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
The Cowboys and Texans hope the event will build momentum toward the UIL sanctioning the sport.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2026
The central and longest section presents the Guru’s grievances against Aurangzeb in the style of a Sufi pir (spiritual guide) addressing a deviant murid (disciple), indicting the emperor for violating the oath and sanctioning the murder of Gobind Singh’s sons.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
The Nevada County public defender’s office and the nonprofit Civil Rights Corps asked the state appeals court to investigate the matter, and to consider sanctioning Wilson’s office for submitting the false citations.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Russia’s shadow fleet is made up of aging tankers that are bought used, often by nontransparent entities with addresses in countries that are not sanctioning Russia.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
That’s not to say that good intentions place Ellis’ order above appellate scrutiny, although in my opinion, her sole (but significant) misstep was failing to give her orders teeth by sanctioning government lawyers and holding DHS agents in contempt of court.
—Seth Stern, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
The City of Boca Raton has no official involvement regarding the sanctioning of the party, a spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
The sanctioning of high school sports is critical to allow student-athletes to safely participate in sports without the risk of exploitation.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
There is increasing international condemnation and sanctioning of some of the government’s more prominent members who are accused of using genocidal language against the Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere.
—Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 23 Aug. 2025
Verb
Phelps departed the top of the company after an acrimonious lawsuit and subsequent trial between the sanctioning body of NASCAR and two of its Cup Series teams — a 14-month process that revealed some pretty unflattering messages sent within NASCAR leadership.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Apr. 2026
The sanctioning body pulled the plug early Saturday after overnight rain continued into the early morning hours.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Motorsports sanctioning bodies and manufacturers continually work to improve safety measures, to better protect competitors, spectators, track personnel and others every time racers strap on their helmets, buckle their safety belts, take to the track and compete.
—Jan Wagner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
The Cowboys and Texans hope the event will build momentum toward the UIL sanctioning the sport.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2026
The central and longest section presents the Guru’s grievances against Aurangzeb in the style of a Sufi pir (spiritual guide) addressing a deviant murid (disciple), indicting the emperor for violating the oath and sanctioning the murder of Gobind Singh’s sons.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
The Nevada County public defender’s office and the nonprofit Civil Rights Corps asked the state appeals court to investigate the matter, and to consider sanctioning Wilson’s office for submitting the false citations.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 1 Apr. 2026
Russia’s shadow fleet is made up of aging tankers that are bought used, often by nontransparent entities with addresses in countries that are not sanctioning Russia.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
That’s not to say that good intentions place Ellis’ order above appellate scrutiny, although in my opinion, her sole (but significant) misstep was failing to give her orders teeth by sanctioning government lawyers and holding DHS agents in contempt of court.
—Seth Stern, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctioning
Noun
-
The position requires approval from the Senate and comes with an ambassador title.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Russia’s reopening of its national pavilion—with the approval of Venice Biennale director Pietrangelo Buttafuoco—has sparked acrimony across the European art world and political sphere.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Under a California law enacted in 2018, a city, county or public agency must provide notice and hold public meetings before approving permits or allowing the reuse of existing buildings for immigration proceedings.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
On April 16, GOP state Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Houston officials for approving sanctuary policies that violated SB 4.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the list of permission credits for The Penguin Book of Oulipo, the number 14 is missing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Swift’s likeness has been used without permission in numerous AI fakes, including by Meta’s AI chatbots and in pornographic images that have circulated on the internet.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Workers represented by United Steelworkers Local 12775 are headed back to work at NIPSCO, after ratifying a new contract with the utility.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Last April, the union celebrated when Atlanta City Council passed a resolution ratifying the first-of-its-kind collective bargaining agreement.—
Riley Bunch,
AJC.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Both candidates received donations from Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522, though Landon received a higher amount and the union’s endorsement.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
That became part of her reason for going public weeks later with her endorsement of his opponent, Kamala Harris, and running mate Tim Walz.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Defense Blog reported that the system was tested in a live-fire scenario, confirming its ability to deploy armed drones during active operations.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Leonardi submitted a letter to the commissioner confirming her secretary used the credit card to buy the $150 ticket to the gala.—
Natalie La Roche Pietri,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
By the end of April 2026, transit through the Strait was running at four to five percent of pre-war levels, around two thousand vessels were stranded in the Gulf, and the United States had announced that mine-clearance operations would take at least six months.—
Interesting Engineering,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Tafari managed to put a foot on the rebound, but the scuffed clearance fell in front of Jesús Gallardo, who toed it toward goal.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Since its ratification in 1791, the First Amendment has protected much more than the rights that are expressly mentioned in its text.—
Wayne Unger,
The Conversation,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Congress gained the power to tax income with the ratification of the 16th Amendment in 1913.—
David A. Lieb,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sanctioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctioning. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
