approve

Compared meaning: to approve or officially permit (verb).

比较义项：批准（动词）。

• approve 本词

  General, common verb for giving approval; used both personally (agreeing with a choice) and officially (a board approving a proposal); the everyday, default word for this meaning.

  常用、通用的动词，表示给予批准或认可，既可以表达个人的赞同，也可以表达正式场合中的批准，例如批准一项提案，是表达这一意思时最常用的默认词。

  My boss approved my request for two days off next week.

  我老板批准了我下周休两天假的请求。

• sanction

  Formal, legal-sounding verb meaning to give official approval, mainly used when a government or organization formally recognizes a specific action; far less common than approve, and easily confused with the noun sanction meaning a penalty.

  语气正式、带有法律色彩的动词，表示给予官方批准，主要用于政府或机构对某项具体行为的正式认可；使用频率远低于approve，且容易与名词sanction（表示“制裁”）混淆。

  The Olympic committee has never officially sanctioned esports as a medal event.

  奥委会从未正式批准电子竞技成为奖牌项目。

Both words can mean to approve, but differ. Approve is the common, everyday word for giving approval, used personally or officially, as in a board approving a proposal. Sanction is formal, used mainly when a government officially recognizes an action, and is far less common.

这两个词在“批准”这一义项上意思相近，但approve更常用、更通用，既可表示个人赞同，也可表示正式批准；sanction更正式、书面化，常指机构或政府对某项具体行为给予官方认可。需要注意，sanction更常见的意思其实是“制裁”（惩罚性措施），这里不比较该义项。