warrant

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Authorization or certification; sanction, as given by a superior.
2. n. Justification for an action or a belief; grounds: "He almost gives his failings as a warrant for his greatness” ( Garry Wills).
3. n. Something that provides assurance or confirmation; a guarantee or proof: a warrant of authenticity; a warrant for success.
4. n. An order that serves as authorization, especially:
5. n. A voucher authorizing payment or receipt of money.
6. n. Law A judicial writ authorizing an officer to make a search, seizure, or arrest or to execute a judgment.
7. n. A warrant officer.
8. n. A certificate of appointment given to a warrant officer.
9. v. To guarantee or attest to the quality, accuracy, or condition of.
10. v. To guarantee or attest to the character or reliability of; vouch for.
11. v. To guarantee (a product).
12. v. To guarantee (a purchaser) indemnification against damage or loss.
13. v. To guarantee the immunity or security of.
14. v. To provide adequate grounds for; justify. See Synonyms at justify.
15. v. To grant authorization or sanction to (someone); authorize or empower.
16. v. Law To guarantee clear title to (real property).

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Protector; protection; defense; safeguard.
2. n. Security; guaranty; assurance; voucher; attestation; evidence; pledge; that which attests or proves.
3. n. Authority; authorization; sanction; justification.
4. n. An act, instrument, or obligation by which one person authorizes another to do something which he has not otherwise a right to do; an act or instrument investing one with a right or with authority, and thus securing him from blame, loss, or damage; hence, anything which authorizes or justifies an act; a license.
5. n. Specifically— An instrument or negotiable writing authorizing a person to receive money or other things: as, a dividend warrant. See dock- warrant.
6. n. In law, an instrument authorizing the officer to whom it is issued to seize or detain a person or property, or carry a judgment into execution. Some instruments used for such a purpose are, however, called writs, executions, etc., rather than warrants.
7. n. In the army and navy, a writ or authority inferior to a commission. See warrant-officer.
8. n. In coal-mining, underclay.
9. To protect; defend; safeguard; secure.
10. To guarantee or assure against harm; give assurance or surety to; give authority or power to do or forbear anything by which the person thus authorized or empowered is secured or saved harmless from any loss or damage which may result from such act or forbearance.
11. To give guaranty or assurance for, as the truth or the due performance of something; give one's word for or concerning.
12. To declare with assurance or without fear of contradiction or failure; assert as undoubted; pledge one's word: used in asseverations and governing a clause.
13. To make certain or secure; assure by warrant or guaranty.
14. To give a pledge or assurance in regard to; guarantee (something) to be safe, sound, genuine, or as represented: as, to warrant a horse; warranted goods.
15. To support by authority or proof; afford ground for; authorize; justify; sanction; support; allow.

Wiktionary

1. n. obsolete A protector or defender.
2. n. Authorization or certification; sanction, as given by a superior.
3. n. Something that provides assurance or confirmation; a guarantee or proof: a warrant of authenticity; a warrant for success.
4. n. An order that serves as authorization, especially: A voucher authorizing payment or receipt of money.
5. n. law A judicial writ authorizing an officer to make a search, seizure, or arrest or to execute a judgment.
6. n. A warrant officer.
7. n. A certificate of appointment given to a warrant officer.
8. n. finance An option, usually with a term at issue greater than a year, usually issued together with another security, to buy other securities of the issuer.
9. n. New Zealand A Warrant of Fitness; a document certifying that a motor vehicle meets certain standards of safety and mechanical soundness.
10. v. obsolete, transitive To protect, keep safe (from danger).
11. v. transitive To guarantee (something) to be (of a specified quality, value etc.).
12. v. transitive To guarantee as being true; (colloquially) to believe strongly.
13. v. obsolete, transitive To give (someone) a guarantee or assurance (of something); also, with double object, to guarantee (someone something).
14. v. transitive To authorize; to give (someone) warrant or sanction (to do something).
15. v. transitive To justify; to give grounds for.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. That which warrants or authorizes; a commission giving authority, or justifying the doing of anything; an act, instrument, or obligation, by which one person authorizes another to do something which he has not otherwise a right to do; an act or instrument investing one with a right or authority, and thus securing him from loss or damage; commission; authority.
2. n. A writing which authorizes a person to receive money or other thing.
3. n. (Law) A precept issued by a magistrate authorizing an officer to make an arrest, a seizure, or a search, or do other acts incident to the administration of justice.
4. n. (Mil. & Nav.) An official certificate of appointment issued to an officer of lower rank than a commissioned officer. See Warrant officer, below.
5. n. That which vouches or insures for anything; guaranty; security.
6. n. That which attests or proves; a voucher.
7. n. obsolete Right; legality; allowance.
8. v. To make secure; to give assurance against harm; to guarantee safety to; to give authority or power to do, or forbear to do, anything by which the person authorized is secured, or saved harmless, from any loss or damage by his action.
9. v. To support by authority or proof; to justify; to maintain; to sanction.
10. v. To give a warrant or warranty to; to assure as if by giving a warrant to.
11. v. To secure to, as a grantee, an estate granted; to assure.
12. v. To secure to, as a purchaser of goods, the title to the same; to indemnify against loss.
13. v. To secure to, as a purchaser, the quality or quantity of the goods sold, as represented. See Warranty, n., 2.
14. v. To assure, as a thing sold, to the purchaser; that is, to engage that the thing is what it appears, or is represented, to be, which implies a covenant to make good any defect or loss incurred by it.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. stand behind and guarantee the quality, accuracy, or condition of
2. n. formal and explicit approval
3. n. a type of security issued by a corporation (usually together with a bond or preferred stock) that gives the holder the right to purchase a certain amount of common stock at a stated price
4. v. show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for
5. n. a written assurance that some product or service will be provided or will meet certain specifications
6. n. a writ from a court commanding police to perform specified acts