What does "approve" mean?

1. (to officially agree) to give official permission for something to happen. 2. (to have a good opinion) to think that someone or something is good or right. 3. (to demonstrate or prove) to show that something is true or has good quality.

How do you use "approve"?

Takes a direct object: 'The manager approved the request.' Usually followed by the preposition 'of'.

Is it correct to say "My parents don't approve my new boyfriend."?

No — say "My parents don't approve of my new boyfriend.". When you are expressing an opinion about someone's character or behavior, you must use 'approve of'.

approve

US //əˈpɹuv// UK //ɐpɹˈuːv// ap·prove

1 to officially agree (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to give official permission for something to happen.

to officially sanction, ratify, or confirm something as satisfactory. This sense is transitive and requires a direct object.

Example

The city council needs to approve the plans before we can start building.

Example

The regulatory board refused to approve the merger until the companies agreed to divest several of their regional subsidiaries.

Usage

Takes a direct object: 'The manager approved the request.'
- reject
- veto
- disallow
2 to have a good opinion (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to think that someone or something is good or right.

to regard something as good, commendable, or acceptable. This sense is intransitive and almost always takes the preposition 'of'.

Example

I don't approve of smoking in the house because of the children.

Example

While the public generally approved of the new environmental policy, some critics argued that the implementation timeline was far too aggressive.

Usage

Usually followed by the preposition 'of'.
- disapprove
- condemn
Pitfall

My parents don't approve my new boyfriend.

My parents don't approve of my new boyfriend.

When you are expressing an opinion about someone's character or behavior, you must use 'approve of'.

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3 to demonstrate or prove (v.)
C2 Proficiency Archaic Formal Law

to show that something is true or has good quality.

to demonstrate the merits of something or to prove it through practice. This usage is largely restricted to legal or historical contexts.

Example

The knight sought to approve his courage on the field of battle.

Example

The defendant was required to approve his claim to the land by producing original deeds from the seventeenth century.

Teacher's tip

This sense is rare in modern conversation; learners will mostly encounter it in historical literature or specific legal documents.

Etymology 1

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro-der. Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH-der. Proto-Italic *proβwos Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Proto-Italic *proβwāō Latin probō Latin approbōder. Old French aproverbor. Middle English aproven English approve From Middle English aproven, appreoven, appreven, apreven, borrowed from Old French aprover, approver, approuvir, appreuver (“to approve”), from Latin approbō, from ad + probō (“to esteem as good, approve, prove”). Doublet of approbate. By surface analysis, ad- + prove.

Etymology 2

From Middle English approuen, approven, from Old French aprouer; a- + a form apparently derived from the pro, prod, in Latin prōsum (“be useful or profitable”). Compare with improve.

Word family

Verbapprove
Verbdisapprove
Nounapproval