I. ˈgrant, -aa(ə)-, -ai-, -ȧ- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English graunten, granten, from Old French creanter, greanter, graanter, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin credentare, from Latin credent-, credens, present participle of credere to believe — more at creed
transitive verb
1.
a. : to consent to carry out for a person : allow , accord
after a conference the judge granted counsel his request
grant a child his wish
b. obsolete : agree , assent — used with a following infinitive with to
c. : to permit as a right, privilege, indulgence, or favor
grant himself a quick view of the treasured letter
grant a few moments' conversation to his admirers
the sixty-six-pound free luggage allowance granted by the transatlantic airlines — Richard Joseph
seek the seclusion that a cabin grants — W.S.Gilbert
2. : give , bestow , confer
granted a sum of $2000 to the student to help him continue his education
granted a large acreage to deserving settlers
grant a doctor's degree to a graduate student
save every drop of rain the heavens grant — Russell Lord
grant a loan to an applicant
the government granted full diplomatic recognition to the new nation
specifically : to make a conveyance of : give the possession or title of especially by a deed or formal writing
3.
a. obsolete : acknowledge , confess
b. : be willing to concede : admit , concede
grant a proposition is true
grant that the man was lying
I grant I was wrong
the government is granting no preference as between types of small business in applying for financial assistance — W.B.Barnes
c. : to assume to be true : deem unquestionable
granted that the novelist has talent, he can nevertheless sometimes expect a hard time finding a publisher
intransitive verb
obsolete : assent , consent
Synonyms:
award , concede , accord , vouchsafe : grant may apply to giving to a petitioner or claimant, often a subordinate, something that has been sought and that could be withheld
granted leave of absence for a year, he went abroad — Allen Johnson
at the close of the Civil War a bounty of $100 was granted to those who had served three years — J.W.Oliver
was granted the triumphal insignia and the right to be consul before the legal age — John Buchan
award , often interchangeable with grant , may apply to giving something adjudged merited or condign
awarded him a medal as champion
his land, awarded him by the Indians in 1835 in acknowledgment of his long service in their behalf — American Guide Series: Louisiana
a certain difficulty arises in writing about a book to which one awards an unreserved enthusiasm — Carl Van Vechten
concede indicates a giving, giving in, or yielding to some rightful request or compelling claim
because physics, history, and religion have their different valuations of experience, we are obliged to concede a large measure of autonomy to the different studies — W.R.Inge
even his harshest critics concede him a rocklike integrity, boundless courage, and an immobile sort of dignity — Time
accord may indicate a granting, sometimes reluctant, of what is due
treated bishops with the superficial deference that a sergeant-major accords to a junior subaltern — Compton Mackenzie
children easily appreciate justice, and will readily accord to others what others accord to them — Bertrand Russell
the central fact to which … prevailing creeds refuse to accord sufficiently serious attention is the obvious impossibility of attaining omniscience — M.R.Cohen
vouchsafe may indicate a grant, especially in response to a petition or request, explicit or implicit, by a person in power
the occasional answers that Stalin used to vouchsafe to inquiries from American correspondents — Elmer Davis
a kindly Being, who, in return for due rites and offerings, will vouchsafe nourishing rains and golden harvests — L.P.Smith
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- take for granted
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English graunt, grant, from Old French creant, greant, graant, from creanter, greanter, graanter
1. : the act of granting: as
a. obsolete
(1) : consent , permission
(2) : acknowledgment , confession
b. : conceding
his grant of the election to his opponent
: allowing
opposed the grant of absentee voting
: a bestowing or conferring
the grant of exclusive privileges in a railroad station — O.W.Holmes †1935
2. : something granted ; especially : a gift (as of land or a sum of money) usually for a particular purpose
subsidized by a grant of two million pounds yearly from the British government
a grant of land to any member who could establish a specific number of settlers — American Guide Series: New Jersey
obtained a grant to study abroad for a year
the university gave the scholar a grant of the sum of $2000 to continue his research
3.
a. : a transfer of real or personal property by deed or writing — compare assignment 3a, gift 2a
b. : the instrument by which such a transfer is made ; also : the property so transferred
c. English law : a former conveyance of an incorporeal hereditament that could pass only by deed
4. : a minor territorial division of Maine, New Hampshire, or Vermont originally granted by the state to an individual or institution
5. in livestock judging : a specified point in which an animal judged inferior surpasses the class winner
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- lie in grant