in the name of

in the name of idiom
  1. By the authority of, as in Open up, in the name of the law! [Late 1300s]
  2. On behalf of, as in She made a donation in her daughter's name. [Late 1300s]
  3. in God's or heaven's name; in the name of God or heaven. With appeal to, as in In the name of God, stop that noise! or What in heaven's name are you doing? [c. a.d. 900]
  4. Under the designation of, as in They burned witches at the stake in the name of piety. [Late 1300s]
  5. Under the possession or ownership of, as in The certificate of ownership was rightfully in my name. [Mid-1900s]
  6. in one's own name. On one's own behalf, as in Mary signed the check for John in her own name. [Late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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