sanction in WordNet English dictionary

1. give sanction to
   "I approve of his educational policies"
   approve  O.K.  okay  sanction 
   
2. give religious sanction to, such as through on oath
   "sanctify the marriage"
   sanction 
   
3. give authority or permission to
   sanction 
   

1. official permission or approval
   "authority for the program was renewed several times"
   authority  authorization  authorisation  sanction 
   
2. formal and explicit approval
   "a Democrat usually gets the union's endorsement"
   sanction  countenance  endorsement  indorsement  warrant  imprimatur 
   
3. the act of final authorization
   "it had the sanction of the church"
   sanction 
   
4. a mechanism of social control for enforcing a society's standards
   sanction