Meaning & use
warrant
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Meanings
nouncountablelegal
An official paper signed by a judge or authority that allows the police to arrest someone or search a place.
Grammar: Countable and usually followed by for: a warrant for his arrest.
Patterns
- a warrant for something
- issue a warrant
- serve a warrant
The police obtained a warrant to search the house.
A judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
Officers cannot enter without a warrant.
verbtransitiveformal
To make an action or response seem right or necessary, because the situation calls for it.
Grammar: Takes an object and usually has a thing as the subject: the situation warrants action.
Patterns
- something warrants something
- something does not warrant doing something
The damage warrants a full inspection.
Nothing in the report warrants such a harsh reaction.
The size of the problem warrants more staff.
noununcountableformal
A good reason or justification for doing something.
Grammar: Usually used in negative sentences with no or without: no warrant for the claim.
Patterns
- no warrant for something
- without warrant
There is no warrant for such suspicion.
He acted without warrant and was criticized for it.
The facts gave her warrant to complain.
verbtransitiveold-fashionedlegal
To promise or guarantee that something is true or will work, as a seller does for a product.
Grammar: Often used in a contract-like way: the maker warrants the goods.
Patterns
- warrant that something is true
- warrant something against something
The store warrants the watch for two years.
I'll warrant he is already at the door.
The seller warrants that the car has no defects.
Word forms
| plural | warrants |
|---|---|
| third person singular | warrants |
| past tense | warranted |
| past participle | warranted |
| -ing form | warranting |
Common combinations
- arrest warrant
- An arrest warrant was issued yesterday.
- search warrant
- The police showed the owner a search warrant.
- serve a warrant
- Officers served the warrant at dawn.
- warrant further investigation
- The results warrant further investigation.
- warrant attention
- The issue warrants immediate attention.
Synonyms and how they differ
- justify
- Justify focuses on proving or showing something is right, while warrant says the facts make it appropriate.
- deserve
- Deserve is more general and personal, and usually applies to people, while warrant often applies to things.
- merit
- Merit is similar but a little more positive, often used for praise or attention.
- authorization
- Authorization is a general permission, while a warrant is a specific legal document.
Word family
- warranty noun
- a written promise from a maker to repair or replace a product
- warranted adjective
- justified or deserved
- unwarranted adjective
- without good reason
- warrantless adjective
- done without a legal warrant
Commonly confused: warrant or warranty? warrant or worrant?
warrant vs warranty
A warranty is a manufacturer's promise to fix faults, while a warrant is a legal order or a justification.
warrant vs worrant
This is a common misspelling; the correct form is warrant.
Practice
The unusual pattern in the data ___ a closer look.
Choose one answer.
Warrants here means makes something necessary or appropriate. Warns needs a different structure with of, so it is a tempting but wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “warrant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.