Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

sanction

2 verb
     
sanction2 [transitive] formal
1 to officially accept or allow something [= approve]:
The church refused to sanction the king's second marriage.
2

be sanctioned by something

to be made acceptable by something:
a barbaric custom, but one sanctioned by long usage
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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