approve

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To consider right or good; think or speak favorably of.
2. v. To consent to officially or formally; confirm or sanction: The Senate approved the treaty.
3. v. Obsolete To prove or attest.
4. v. To show, feel, or express approval: didn't approve of the decision.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To make good; show to be real or true; prove; confirm; attest; corroborate.
2. To show; prove to be; demonstrate.
3. To sanction officially; ratify authoritatively: as, the decision of the court martial was approved.
4. To pronounce good; think or judge well of; admit the propriety or excellence of; be pleased with; commend: as, on trial the goods were approved; to approve the policy of the administration.
5. To manifest as worthy of approval; commend: used reflexively.
6. To put to the test; prove by trial; try.
7. Hence—. To convict upon trial or by proof.
8. . To show itself to be; prove or turn out.
9. To think or judge well or favorably; be pleased: usually with of.
10. In law, to turn to one's own profit; augment the value or profits of, as of waste land, by inclosing and cultivating; improve.

Wiktionary

1. v. To sanction officially; to ratify; to confirm.
2. v. To regard as good; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of.
3. v. To make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically.
4. v. To consider or show to be worthy of approbation or acceptance.
5. v. To make profit of; to convert to one's own profit;—said especially of waste or common land appropriated by the lord of the manor.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To show to be real or true; to prove.
2. v. To make proof of; to demonstrate; to prove or show practically.
3. v. To sanction officially; to ratify; to confirm.
4. v. To regard as good; to commend; to be pleased with; to think well of.
5. v. To make or show to be worthy of approbation or acceptance.
6. v. To make profit of; to convert to one's own profit; -- said esp. of waste or common land appropriated by the lord of the manor.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. give sanction to
2. v. judge to be right or commendable; think well of