Meaning & use
regulatory approval
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
Official permission from a government body to carry out an activity or sell a product.
Grammar: Uncountable; say 'get regulatory approval' or 'receive regulatory approval'. Often followed by 'for' or 'from'.
Patterns
- regulatory approval for something
- regulatory approval from an agency
- get regulatory approval
The company needs regulatory approval before it can sell the new drug.
The merger is still waiting for regulatory approval from the competition authority.
Obtaining regulatory approval for a new medical device can take several years.
Common combinations
- seek regulatory approval
- The startup plans to seek regulatory approval for its flying taxi.
- grant regulatory approval
- The agency may grant regulatory approval if the trials show positive results.
- regulatory approval process
- The regulatory approval process is lengthy and expensive.
Synonyms and how they differ
- clearance
- Clearance is a more general term for official permission, often used in aviation or security, and can be less formal than regulatory approval.
- authorization
- Authorization is similar but can come from any authority, not just a government regulator.
Word family
- regulate verb
- To control an activity by making rules.
- regulation noun
- An official rule made by a government body.
- regulator noun
- A person or organization that makes and enforces rules.
Commonly confused: regulatory approval or legislative approval?
regulatory approval vs legislative approval
Legislative approval comes from a law-making body (like a parliament), while regulatory approval comes from an agency that enforces rules.
Practice
The pharmaceutical company is waiting for ______ from the Food and Drug Administration.
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'waiting for regulatory approval' uses the noun 'approval'. The other options are verb forms and do not fit after the preposition 'for'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “regulatory approval”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.