warrant: Meaning and Definition of

war•rant

Pronunciation: (wôr'unt, wor'-), [key]
— n.
  1. authorization, sanction, or justification.
  2. something that serves to give reliable or formal assurance of something; guarantee, pledge, or security.
  3. something considered as having the force of a guarantee or as being positive assurance of a thing: The cavalry and artillery were considered sure warrants of success.
  4. a writing or document certifying or authorizing something, as a receipt, license, or commission.
  5. an instrument, issued by a magistrate, authorizing an officer to make an arrest, seize property, make a search, or carry a judgment into execution.
  6. the certificate of authority or appointment issued to an officer of the armed forces below the rank of a commissioned officer.
  7. a warehouse receipt.
  8. a written authorization for the payment or receipt of money: a treasury warrant.
—v.t.
  1. to give authority to; authorize.
  2. to give reason or sanction for; justify: The circumstances warrant such measures.
  3. to give one's word for; vouch for (often used with a clause to emphasize something asserted): I'll warrant he did!
  4. to give a formal assurance, or a guarantee or promise, to or for; guarantee: to warrant someone honorable treatment; to warrant payment; to warrant safe delivery.
  5. to guarantee the quantity, quality, and other representations of (an article, product, etc.), as to a purchaser.
  6. to guarantee or secure title to (the purchaser of goods); assure indemnification against loss to.
  7. to guarantee title of an estate or other granted property (to a grantee).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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