ENGLISH
REFERENCE

endorse

v.
US //ɛnˈdɔɹs// UK //ɛndˈɔːs// en·dorse
  1. 1 to support publicly (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to say publicly that you support a person, a product, or an idea.

    to express formal or public approval of a person, policy, or product. Transitive — requires a direct object.

    Example

    The famous athlete was paid millions to endorse the new brand of running shoes.

    Example

    The committee refused to endorse the candidate until she clarified her position on the proposed environmental regulations.

    Usage

    Often used in political and commercial contexts.
  2. 2 to sign a document (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Technical Law

    to sign your name on the back of a cheque so it can be paid.

    to sign one's name on the back of a cheque or other negotiable instrument to make it payable to another party.

    Example

    You must endorse the cheque on the back before the bank will cash it.

    Example

    The solicitor advised his client to endorse the document immediately to facilitate the transfer of funds between the two accounts.

    Usage

    In legal contexts, this refers specifically to the signature on the reverse side of a document.
Show 2 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 driving penalty (v.)
    C2 Proficiency British English Formal Law

    to record a driving offence on someone's official driving licence.

    to record a conviction or penalty points on a driving licence. Transitive; typically used in the passive voice.

    Example

    His licence was endorsed with three penalty points for driving too fast.

    Example

    The magistrate ordered the defendant's licence to be endorsed following the repeated traffic violations in the city centre.

    Usage

    Primarily a British legal term; the noun form is 'endorsement'.
  2. 4 to report a symptom (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Academic Medicine

    to say that you have a specific medical symptom when a doctor asks.

    to confirm the presence of a symptom or clinical finding during a medical assessment.

    Example

    The patient did not endorse any chest pain during the physical exam.

    Example

    Although the subject endorsed mild fatigue, they denied any significant cognitive impairment during the initial screening phase.

    Teacher's tip

    This is highly specialised medical jargon; in everyday English, patients 'report' or 'have' symptoms.
Origin

Alteration influenced by Medieval Latin indorsare of Middle English endosse, from Old French endosser (“to put on the back”), from Latin dossum, alternative form of dorsum (“back”), from which also dorsal (“of the back”). That is, the ‘r’ was dropped in Latin dossum, which developed into Old French and then Middle English endosse, and then the ‘r’ was re-introduced into English via the Medieval Latin indorsare, which had retained the ‘r’. Note that the alternative spelling indorse also uses the initial ‘i’ from Latin (in-, rather than en-), but this form is now rare.

Word family

© 2026 English Reference