THE WORDCRAFT DEFINITION DICTIONARY
sanction
noun
Official authorization; also a penalty used to enforce a rule.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
A USEFUL DISTINCTION
Usage note
Context is essential: sanction can mean official approval or a penalty. The two uses can point in opposite directions.
SEE IT IN USE
Examples in context
The event needed the committee's sanction before invitations could be sent.
Another workshop committed an infringement by displaying a member's work after permission had expressly been refused. The board's sanction for that violation was exclusion from the next exhibition, a penalty rather than an approval.
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Rules and AuthorityReading 2 / Open lessonAPPLY IT AND RETURN
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This entry is part of the vocabulary collection supplied by GlobalRPh. Definitions are concise study meanings. Examples combine original teaching sentences with selected passages adapted from the supplied study notes; their source is labeled beside each example. A word may have additional specialized or historical senses.
Adapted from supplied vocabulary notes. Example written for WordCraft.
Source study sections: 14.
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