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warrant

Syllabification: (war·rant)
Pronunciation: /ˈwôrənt, ˈwä-/
Translate warrant | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of warrant

noun

  • 1a document issued by a legal or government official authorizing the police or some other body to make an arrest, search premises, or carry out some other action relating to the administration of justice:magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest an extradition warrant
  • a document that entitles the holder to receive goods, money, or services:we’ll issue you with a travel warrant
  • Finance a negotiable security allowing the holder to buy shares at a specified price at or before some future date.
  • [usually with negative] justification or authority for an action, belief, or feeling:there is no warrant for this assumption
  • 2an official certificate of appointment issued to an officer of lower rank than a commissioned officer.

verb

[with object]
  • justify or necessitate (a certain course of action):that offense is serious enough to warrant a court marshal
  • officially affirm or guarantee:the vendor warrants the accuracy of the report

Phrases

I (or I'll) warrant (you)

dated used to express the speaker’s certainty about a fact or situation:I’ll warrant you’ll thank me for it in years to come

Derivatives

warranter

noun

Origin:

Middle English (in the senses 'protector' and 'safeguard', also, as a verb, 'keep safe from danger'): from variants of Old French guarant (noun), guarantir (verb), of Germanic origin; compare with guarantee

Spell warrant with a double r; the ending is -ant.

warrant in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of warrant in the British & World English dictionary
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