sanction Hear it!

sanction Definition

sanc·tion (saŋk′s̸hən)

noun

  1. the act of a recognized authority confirming or ratifying an action; authorized approval or permission
  2. support; encouragement; approval
  3. something that gives binding force to a law, or secures obedience to it, as the penalty for breaking it, or a reward for carrying it out
  4. something, as a moral principle or influence, that makes a rule of conduct, a law, etc. binding
  5. : often used in pl.
    1. a coercive measure, as a blockade of shipping, usually taken by several nations together, for forcing a nation considered to have violated international law to end the violation
    2. a coercive measure, as a boycott, taken by a group to enforce demands
  6. Obsolete a formal decree; law

Etymology: < Fr or L: Fr < L sanctio < sanctus: see saint

transitive verb

to give sanction to; specif.,

  1. to ratify or confirm
  2. to authorize or permit; countenance

sanction Related Forms

sanc′·tion·able adjective

sanction Synonyms

sanction

n.

  1. Approval

    consent, acquiescence, assent; see permission.

  2. A coercive measure

    decree, command, writ, sentence, ban, embargo, injunction, loss of reward, penalty, punishment, punitive sanctions, civil sanctions, remuneratory sanctions.

sanction Synonyms

sanction

v.

confirm, authorize, countenance; see allow 1, approve 1, 2, endorse 2. See syn. study at approve.

sanction Finance Definition

  1. Any of various penalties that may be imposed against an entity or an individual who has violated federal securities laws.
  2. Any of various penalties that may be imposed against a government, typically by using trade sanctions. In addition, international organizations such as the United Nations may issue sanctions against countries as a deterrent to undesirable activities.

sanction Law Definition

n

A penalty imposed for violating accepted social norms. A sanction may be civil or criminal in nature. Criminal sanctions are either fine, imprisonment, or both.

n

Authorization and/or approval by someone in a position of authority; for example,

v

the act of imposing a penalty.

sanction Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • impose: Iraq had a right to impose sanctions too, you know.
  • lift: The US would use its power of veto to block any proposal to lift the sanctions in the UN Security Council.
  • violate: Without such authorization, the flight would have violated UN sanctions.
  • enforce: The ship sank on November 11 after being boarded by a US team enforcing UN sanctions.
  • suspend: However, Britain and the US have dismissed a Russian draft resolution to suspend sanctions altogether as unacceptable.
  • waive: It also would provide less flexibility for the president to waive sanctions for national security reasons.

Preposition: against

Adjective modifier

  • un: Saddam meetings Galloway, who was a vocal critic of UN sanctions against Iraq, met Saddam during visits to Baghdad in the 1990s.
  • smart: New Zealand also advocates the use of smart sanctions.
  • punitive: The Iraqi dictator has been on the receiving end of punitive sanctions for ten years now.
  • disciplinary: This case demonstrated that unwarranted demotion and disciplinary sanctions would amount to constructive dismissal should the employe resign.
  • criminal: EU governments think criminal sanctions should be a national matter only.
  • penal: The ICBL calls on all States Parties to enact such legislation quickly, including imposing penal sanctions for treaty violations.

Modifies a noun

  • detection: What measures were being undertaken to reduce the sanction detection rate for homophobic crime?
  • regime: WHO blames the sanctions regime for some of the problems.
  • buster: That the biggest sanctions busters were not me or Russian politicians or French politicians.
  • committee: Many of the contracts are approved individually by a Security Council sanctions committee, any one of whose 15 members can block them.

Noun used with modifier

trade: Baghdad is under United Nations ' trade sanctions following its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

Preposition: for

  • non-compliance: Sanctions for non-compliance with these regulations are detailed in Section 10.
  • non-payment: It also has some of the severest sanctions for the non-payment of any debt.

Browse dictionary entries near sanction

  1. ‹ sanctimony
  2. ‹ sanctimonious
  3. ‹ sanctify
  4. ‹ sanctified
  5. ‹ Sancho Panza
  6. ‹ Sancerre
  7. ‹ sanbenito
  8. ‹ sanatorium
  9. ‹ sanative
  10. ‹ Sana
  1. sanctity ›
  2. sanctuary ›
  3. sanctum ›
  4. sanctum sanctorum ›
  5. Sanctus ›
  6. Sanctus bell ›
  7. sand ›
  8. sand-cast ›
  9. sand dab ›
  10. sand dollar ›