warrant

[ wawr-uh nt, wor- ]

/ ˈwɔr ənt, ˈwɒr- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR warrant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

authorization, sanction, or justification.

something that serves to give reliable or formal assurance of something; guarantee, pledge, or security.

something considered as having the force of a guarantee or as being positive assurance of a thing: The cavalry and artillery were considered sure warrants of success.

a writing or document certifying or authorizing something, as a receipt, license, or commission.

Law. an instrument, issued by a magistrate, authorizing an officer to make an arrest, seize property, make a search, or carry a judgment into execution.

the certificate of authority or appointment issued to an officer of the armed forces below the rank of a commissioned officer.

a warehouse receipt.

a written authorization for the payment or receipt of money: a treasury warrant.

verb (used with object)

to give authority to; authorize.

to give reason or sanction for; account for: The circumstances warrant such measures.

to give one's word for; vouch for (often used with a clause to emphasize something asserted): I'll warrant he did!

to give a formal assurance, or a guarantee or promise, to or for; guarantee: to warrant someone honorable treatment; to warrant payment; to warrant safe delivery.

to guarantee the quantity, quality, and other representations of (an article, product, etc.), as to a purchaser.

to guarantee or secure title to (the purchaser of goods); assure indemnification against loss to.

Law. to guarantee title of an estate or other granted property (to a grantee).

Origin of warrant

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English warant < Anglo-French; Old French guarant < Germanic; compare Middle Low German warend, -ent warranty, noun use of present participle of waren to warrant; (v.) Middle English < Anglo-French warantir; Old French g(u)arantir, derivative of guarant; see guaranty

OTHER WORDS FROM warrant

war·rant·less, adjective non·war·rant·ed, adjective pre·war·rant, noun, verb (used with object) qua·si-war·rant·ed, adjective

re·war·rant, verb (used with object) self-war·rant·ing, adjective un·war·rant·ed, adjective un·war·rant·ed·ly, adverb well-war·rant·ed, adjective

Words nearby warrant

warper, warping board, warping frame, warplane, warpwise, warrant, warrant of fitness, warrant officer, warrant sale, warrantable, warrantee

Example sentences from the Web for unwarranted

Americans have a right to fear over-zealous and unwarranted surveillance by the NSA.

Ebola, ISIS, the Border: So Much to Fear, So Little Time! |Gene Robinson |November 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The inference that the child was treated as an equal in the community is unwarranted.

Living With Disability in the Dark Ages |Elizabeth Picciuto |July 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It was partly the wish for a right to privacy from unwarranted government intrusion that set in motion the American Revolution.

Snowden Deserves the Medal of Freedom, Not Prosecution |Jay Parini |June 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But she argues that the sabotage charge is unwarranted—a gratuitous retaliation for making the Obama administration look bad.

The Nuclear Nun Goes to Jail |Lizzie Crocker |February 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Some couples who have been early to marry and early to divorce may “internalize an unwarranted sense of guilt or shame.”

The Gay Divorce Trap: When Same-Sex Marriage Goes Wrong |Lizzie Crocker |September 30, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The action had a certain definiteness in it, unwarranted by the slightness of the meeting.

McClure's Magazine, Vol 31, No 2, June 1908 |Various
Rule 6, in that exaggerated and unwarranted claims are made for its therapeutic qualities.

The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 1 of 2 |Various
The Archbishop of Turin was banished and died in exile for having spoken in reproof of these unwarranted usurpations.

The War Upon Religion |Rev. Francis A. Cunningham
If its actions do not respond to the necessities, they are unwarranted.

The Data of Ethics |Herbert Spencer
I do not mean by this that I have invented detail in any unwarranted fashion.

The Laughing Prince |Parker Fillmore

British Dictionary definitions for unwarranted (1 of 2)

unwarranted

/ (ʌnˈwɒrəntɪd) /

adjective

lacking justification or authorization

another word for unwarrantable

British Dictionary definitions for unwarranted (2 of 2)

warrant

/ (ˈwɒrənt) /

noun

anything that gives authority for an action or decision; authorization; sanction

a document that certifies or guarantees, such as a receipt for goods stored in a warehouse, a licence, or a commission

law an authorization issued by a magistrate or other official allowing a constable or other officer to search or seize property, arrest a person, or perform some other specified act

(in certain armed services) the official authority for the appointment of warrant officers

a security that functions as a stock option by giving the owner the right to buy ordinary shares in a company at a specified date, often at a specified price

verb (tr)

to guarantee the quality, condition, etc, of (something)

to give authority or power to

to attest to or assure the character, worthiness, etc, of

to guarantee (a purchaser of merchandise) against loss of, damage to, or misrepresentation concerning the merchandise

law to guarantee (the title to an estate or other property)

to declare boldly and confidently

Derived forms of warrant

warrantable, adjective warrantability, noun warrantably, adverb warranter, noun

warrantless, adjective

Word Origin for warrant

C13: from Anglo-French warrant, variant of Old French guarant, from guarantir to guarantee, of Germanic origin; compare guaranty

Idioms and Phrases with unwarranted

warrant

see sign one's own death warrant.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

warrant

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of warrant

OTHER WORDS FROM warrant

Words nearby warrant

Example sentences from the Web for unwarranted

British Dictionary definitions for unwarranted (1 of 2)

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for unwarranted (2 of 2)

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of warrant

Word Origin for warrant

Idioms and Phrases with unwarranted

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

warrant

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of warrant

OTHER WORDS FROM warrant

Words nearby warrant

Words related to unwarranted

Example sentences from the Web for unwarranted

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for unwarranted (1 of 2)

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for unwarranted (2 of 2)

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of warrant

Word Origin for warrant

Idioms and Phrases with unwarranted

British Dictionary definitions for unwarranted (1 of 2)