Approve means to officially accept or agree to something, often after consideration or recommendation. It denotes consent, endorsement, or validation by an authority or group, and can apply to policies, proposals, or personal decisions. In usage, it signals formal support, while also appearing in everyday contexts like “I approve this plan.”
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"The committee will approve the budget after reviewing all proposals."
"She needed her supervisor’s approval before proceeding with the project."
"The permit was approved yesterday, allowing construction to begin."
"He asked the board for approval of the new policy and received it."
Approve comes from Middle English aproven, from Old French approver, from Late Latin appropare, from ad- ‘toward’ + propriāre ‘to set forth, to put in order,’ from proprius ‘one’s own, proper.’ The root idea is to set something forward for acceptance. By the 15th century, English usage shifted to mean ‘to approve, sanction,’ particularly in governance and ecclesiastical contexts. The present participle form approving and the noun approval emerged as the standard pairings, reflecting the notion of granting formal consent or authorization. The word’s semantic arc traces a movement from “to bring toward” (ad- + proper) to “to declare proper or acceptable.” The term has long been associated with official processes—birth of stamps, seals, and formal endorsements—before extending to broader contexts like personal permission or agreement in everyday speech. First known uses appear in legal and administrative records of medieval Europe, where rulers and councils sanctioned decrees and budgets, later permeating common usage as institutions and individuals sought legitimacy and validation for actions.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "approve" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "approve" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "approve"
-ove sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as /əˈpruːv/ (uh-PROOV). The first syllable is unstressed and reduced to /ə/, followed by the stressed second syllable /ˈpruːv/. The key is a strong /uː/ vowel rounded lip position and a close, yet quick /pr/ onset, with the final /v/ as a voiced labiodental fricative. In connected speech, you’ll often hear it as “uh-PROOV” with smooth linking between /pr/ and the long /uː/.
Common errors include: (1) stressing the first syllable (A-prove) instead of the second, (2) pronouncing the second syllable with a short /ʌ/ or /e/ rather than /uː/ as in /ˈpruːv/, and (3) dropping the final /v/ or turning it into a /f/ in rapid speech. To correct, emphasize the /ə/ + /ˈpruːv/ pattern and practice with a 4-beat rhythm: uh-PROOV. Use a mirror or recording to ensure your lips form a rounded /uː/ and that your lower lip lightly contacts the upper teeth for the /v/ sound.
In US/UK/AU, /əˈpruːv/ remains comparable, with minor rhotic and vowel quality differences. US speakers may exhibit a slightly more rhotic quality in the /ɹ/ onset, and the /uː/ can be a longer, tenser vowel. UK speakers might maintain a slightly clipped /ə/ and a purer /uː/ without extra length, while Australian speakers often have a broader vowel height and a less precise /ɹ/ in some dialects, but for this verb the differences are subtle. Overall, the core is the same: a reduced first syllable and a stressed /ˈpruːv/.
The challenge is producing a clean, rounded /uː/ after the /pr/ onset and keeping the /v/ voiced without flapping into a /b/ or /f/ sound. Learners often misplace the stress, either making the first syllable stronger or treating the second syllable as unstressed. Also, the transition from /pr/ to /uː/ requires a quick, controlled lip rounding and a short lag between consonant and vowel. Focusing on a crisp /pr/ onset and a precise, long /uː/ helps stabilize the pronunciation.
A subtle but important nuance is keeping the /pr/ cluster tight and avoiding an extra vowel before the /uː/. Some learners insert an epenthetic vowel in between /p/ and /r/ (e.g., pro-approve), which weakens the word. Maintain a compact onset: /əˈpruːv/ with the main energy on the /uː/ vowel. Also ensure the final /v/ is voiced and released, not devoiced to /f/ in rapid speech.
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