sanction

give sanction to

• “I approve of his educational policies”

give authority or permission to

give religious sanction to, such as through on oath

• “sanctify the marriage”

formal and explicit approval

• “a Democrat usually gets the union”

a mechanism of social control for enforcing a society''s standards

official permission or approval

• “authority for the program was renewed several times”

the act of final authorization

• “it had the sanction of the church”