warrant
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A judicial writ authorizing an officer to make a search, seizure, or arrest, or to execute a judgment.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
wawruhntSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈwɔɹənt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
lawcountable
A judicial writ authorizing an officer to make a search, seizure, or arrest, or to execute a judgment.
countable
An order that serves as authorization; especially a voucher authorizing payment or receipt of money.
countable
Something that provides assurance or confirmation; a guarantee or proof.
Authorization or certification; a sanction, as given by a superior.
countable
A certificate of appointment given to a warrant officer.
verb
Stand behind and guarantee the quality, accuracy, or condition of
“The dealer warrants all the cars he sells.”
transitive
To guarantee (something) to be (of a specified quality, value, etc.).
transitive
To guarantee as being true; (colloquial) to believe strongly.
Provide adequate grounds to justify (a certain course of action)
“The emergency does not warrant all of us buying guns.”
transitive
To justify; to give grounds for.
transitive
To authorize; to give (someone) sanction or warrant (to do something).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A judicial writ authorizing an officer to make a search, seizure, or arrest, or to execute a judgment.
Used this way, warrant is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a legal use: the wording is institutional and carries a defined meaning in law rather than a loose everyday one.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Law/legal
- Government/politics
- Academic writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Provide / justifyverb
“The emergency does not warrant all of us buying guns.”
Standverb
“The dealer warrants all the cars he sells.”
More ways to use warrant
- “As a sweetener they offered warrants along with the fixed-income securities.”noun
- “The dealer warrants all the cars he sells.”verb
- “The emergency does not warrant all of us buying guns.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
A law, treaty, or contract, or a clause within a law, treaty, or contract, specifying any of the above.
A legal assurance of something, e.g. a security for the fulfillment of an obligation.
An amendment or annotation to an insurance contract or other official document (such as a driving licence).
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A written assurance that some product or service will be provided or will meet certain specifications.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Holds rank by virtue of a warrant.
A warrant to execute the death sentence.
An order of payment (such as a check payable to a shareholder) in which a dividend is paid.
A warrant with no expiration date.
A warrant authorizing law enforcement officials to search for objects or people involved in the commission of a crime and to produce them in court.
A warrant authorizing law enforcement officials to apprehend an offender and bring that person to court.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: stand behind and guarantee the quality or accuracy
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “warrant” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.