n.
1.formal and explicit approval
2.a mechanism of social control for enforcing a society's standards
3.official permission or approval
4.the act of final authorization sanction v.
1.give sanction to
2.give authority or permission to
3.give religious sanction to, such as through on oath
Idiom of the Day
throw (someone's) name around
to impress people by saying that you know a famous or important person
The salesman often throws the names of important people around.