endorse
- 01 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.
Simple“The famous athlete was paid millions to endorse the new brand of running shoes.”
In context“The committee refused to endorse the candidate until she clarified her position on the proposed environmental regulations.”
UsageOften used in political and commercial contexts.
- 02 C1 Advanced
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.
Simple“You must endorse the cheque on the back before the bank will cash it.”
In context“The solicitor advised his client to endorse the document immediately to facilitate the transfer of funds between the two accounts.”
UsageIn legal contexts, this refers specifically to the signature on the reverse side of a document.
Synonymssigncountersign - 03 C2 Proficiency
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.
Simple“His licence was endorsed with three penalty points for driving too fast.”
In context“The magistrate ordered the defendant's licence to be endorsed following the repeated traffic violations in the city centre.”
UsagePrimarily a British legal term; the noun form is 'endorsement'.
- 04 C2 Proficiency
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.
Simple“The patient did not endorse any chest pain during the physical exam.”
In context“Although the subject endorsed mild fatigue, they denied any significant cognitive impairment during the initial screening phase.”
Teacher's tipThis is highly specialised medical jargon; in everyday English, patients 'report' or 'have' symptoms.
“Sarwar, who had led the party since 2021, declined to endorse a candidate during an Edinburgh Fringe event earlier this month.”
“India earlier distanced itself from the news conference – Hasina’s first since fleeing Bangladesh in 2024 , saying it had no role in organising it and would not endorse any political views voiced.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.