warrant

1. Authorization or certification; sanction, as given by a superior.
2. Justification for an action or a belief; grounds: “He almost gives his failings as a warrant for his greatness” (Garry Wills).
3. Something that provides assurance or confirmation; a guarantee or proof: a warrant of authenticity; a warrant for success.
4. An order that serves as authorization, especially:
   1. A voucher authorizing payment or receipt of money.
   2. Law. A judicial writ authorizing an officer to make a search, seizure, or arrest or to execute a judgment.
5. 1. A warrant officer.
   2. A certificate of appointment given to a warrant officer.

1. To guarantee or attest to the quality, accuracy, or condition of.
2. To guarantee or attest to the character or reliability of; vouch for.
3. 1. To guarantee (a product).
   2. To guarantee (a purchaser) indemnification against damage or loss.
4. To guarantee the immunity or security of.
5. To provide adequate grounds for; justify. See synonyms at justify.
6. To grant authorization or sanction to (someone); authorize or empower.
7. Law. To guarantee clear title to (real property).

[Middle English warant, from Old North French, of Germanic origin.]

A derivative security that gives the holder the right to purchase securities (usually equity) from the issuer at a specific price within a certain time frame. Warrants are often included in a new debt issue as a "sweetener" to entice investors.

Investopedia Says:
The main difference between warrants and call options is that warrants are issued and guaranteed by the company, whereas options are exchange instruments and are not issued by the company. Also, the lifetime of a warrant is often measured in years, while the lifetime of a typical option is measured in months.

Related Links:
Discover the advantages of this high-return investment tool that's largely unexploited by investors. What Are Warrants?

1. Short-term interest bearing note issued by a state or local government to pay debts, repayable from a defined income source. For example, notes issued in anticipation of future tax revenues (a Tax Anticipation Note) or future cash receipts (a Revenue Anticipation Note).

2. Certificate giving the bearer the right to buy securities, gold, or other commodities at a stated price for a stated period or at any time in the future. The offered price usually is above the market price, in contrast to a rights offer of newly issued securities at below market prices. These instruments are offered to the public in negotiable form, and are traded freely on the stock exchanges. They differ from Stock Purchase Options, which normally are offered only to the issuer's employees. Also called a subscription warrant.

3. Currency Warrant. The yield and price of the instruments covered are fixed at the time of the original sale.

noun

1. A justifying fact or consideration: basis, foundation, justification, reason. See true/false.
2. That which confirms: attestation, authentication, confirmation, corroboration, demonstration, evidence, proof, substantiation, testament, testimonial, testimony, validation, verification. See true/false.
3. Something given to guarantee the repayment of a loan or the fulfillment of an obligation: earnest², guaranty, pawn¹, pledge, security, token. See transactions.
4. An assumption of responsibility, as one given by a manufacturer, for the quality, worth, or durability of a product: guarantee, guaranty, surety, warranty. See obligation.
5. A declaration that one will or will not do a certain thing: assurance, covenant, engagement, guarantee, guaranty, pledge, plight², promise, solemn word, vow, word, word of honor. See obligation.
6. Proof of legal permission to do something: license, permit. Idioms: piece of paper. See allow/prevent, law.

verb

1. To assure the certainty or validity of: attest, authenticate, back (up), bear out, confirm, corroborate, evidence, justify, substantiate, testify (to), validate, verify. See support/oppose, true/false.
2. To render certain: assure, ensure, guarantee, insure, secure. Informal cinch. See certain/uncertain.
3. To assume responsibility for the quality, worth, or durability of: certify, guarantee, guaranty. See obligation.
4. To be a proper or sufficient occasion for: call for, justify, occasion. See right/wrong.

Definition: authorization
Antonyms: breach, break

ˈwôrǝnt; ˈwä- n. an official certificate of appointment issued to an officer of lower rank than a commissioned officer.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

For more information on warrant, visit Britannica.com.

A written order issued by a judicial officer or other authorized person commanding a law enforcement officer to perform some act incident to the administration of justice.

Warrants are recognized in many different forms and for a variety of purposes in the law. Most commonly, police use warrants as the basis to arrest a suspect and to conduct a search of property for evidence of a crime. Warrants are also used to bring persons to court who have ignored a subpoena or a court appearance. In another context, warrants may be issued to collect taxes or to pay out money.

The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that "no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." There are three principal types of criminal warrants: arrest warrants, search warrants, and bench warrants.

An arrest warrant is a written order issued by a judge or other proper judicial officer, upon probable cause, directing a law enforcement officer to arrest a particular person. An arrest warrant is issued on the basis of a sworn complaint charging that the accused person has committed a crime. The arrest warrant must identify the person to be arrested by name or other unique characteristics and must describe the crime. When a warrant for arrest does not identify a person by name, it is sometimes called a "John Doe warrant" or a "no name warrant."

A search warrant is an order in writing, issued by a judge or judicial officer, commanding a law enforcement officer to search a specified person or premises for specified property and to bring it before the judicial authority named in the warrant. Before issuing the search warrant, the judicial officer must determine whether there is probable cause to search based on the information supplied in an affidavit by a law enforcement officer or other person. Generally the types of property for which a search warrant may be issued, as specified in statutes or rules of court, are weapons, contraband, fruits of crimes, instrumentalities of crimes (for example, a mask used in a robbery), and other evidence of crime.

A bench warrant is initiated by and issued from the bench or court directing a law enforcement officer to bring a specified person before the court. A bench warrant is used, among other purposes, when a person has failed to appear in response to a subpoena, summons, or citation. It is also used when an accused person needs to be transferred from jail to court for trial, and when a person's failure to obey a court order puts her or him in contempt of court. A bench warrant is sometimes called a " capias" or an "alias warrant."

Warrants may be used for financial transactions. For example, a private individual may draw up a warrant authorizing another person to pay out or deliver a sum of money or something else of value.

A warrant may be issued to a collector of taxes, empowering him or her to collect taxes as itemized on the assessment role and to enforce the assessments by tax sales where necessary.

Common misspelling(s) of warrant

• warrent

Dansk (Danish)
n. - garanti, sikkerhed, berettigelse, bemyndigelse, hjemmel, anvisning, lagerbevis
v. tr. - garantere, påkræve, gøre noget nødvendigt

idioms:

• warrant officer    angivelse af befalingsmandsrang

Nederlands (Dutch)
instaan voor, garanderen, rechtvaardigen, zeker verklaren, volmacht, garantie, volmacht voor arrestatie of huiszoeking, ceel

Français (French)
n. - garantie, gage, justification, (fig) clé (du succès), récépissé, bon, (Jur) mandat d'amener ou d'arrêt, mandat de perquisition, procuration, pouvoir, (Mil) adjudant, certificat d'entrepôt, warrant, ordonnance de paiement
v. tr. - autoriser, garantir, justifier, répondre de, promettre, garantir (la qualité, etc), (Jur) garantir un titre à (la propriété)

idioms:

• warrant officer    (Mil) adjudant

Deutsch (German)
n. - Vollmacht, Bürge, Rechtfertigung, Befehl, (Offiziers)patent, Lagerschein, Bezugsrecht, Dividendenschein
v. - einstehen für, garantieren, rechtfertigen

idioms:

• warrant officer    Dienstgrad eines Offiziers

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ένταλμα (σύλληψης κ.λπ.), εξουσιοδότηση, δικαίωμα, δικαιολογία, εντολή
v. - αιτιολογώ, δικαιολογώ, εγγυώμαι, διαβεβαιώνω

idioms:

• warrant officer    (στρατ.) ανθυπασπιστής

Italiano (Italian)
garantire, mandato

idioms:

• warrant officer    sergente maggiore

Português (Portuguese)
n. - autorização (f), certificado (m)
v. - autorizar, garantir

idioms:

• warrant officer    subtenente (m)

Русский (Russian)
судебное распоряжение, ордер на арест, полномочие, основание для чего-л., доказательство, залог, купон (облигации), патент, приказ, служить основанием, давать право, выражать уверенность, гарантировать

idioms:

• warrant officer    уоррант-офицер, мичман

Español (Spanish)
n. - autorización legal, orden judicial, garantía, justificación, recibo de depósito, decreto, certificado, poder, patente, fundamento
v. tr. - justificar, garantizar, autorizar, asegurar, certificar

idioms:

• warrant officer    suboficial, contramaestre

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - garanti, fullmakt, befogenhet, order, anvisning
v. - bemyndiga, rättfärdiga, försvara, garantera

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
授权, 根据, 正当理由, 保证, 担保, 辩解

idioms:

• warrant officer    一级准尉

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 授權, 根據, 正當理由
v. tr. - 保證, 擔保, 辯解

idioms:

• warrant officer    一級準尉

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 근거, 보증, 영장
v. tr. - 보증하다, 보장하다, 정당화하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 正当な理由, 根拠, 権能, 保証, 証明書, 倉荷証券, 指図, 権限授与状, 令状, ワラント, 保証状
v. - 正当化する, 保証する

idioms:

• warrant officer    准士官

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) رخصه, تأمين, ضمانه, برهان, مبرر, مذكرة, أمر شرعي يسمح رجل الأمن أن يقوم باعتقال أو بتفتيش أو بمصادرة, التزام قصير المدى, مستند تصدره الجمعيه يسمح بشرا الأسهم حتى موعد محدد (فعل) يؤكد, يتعهد ب, يجيز, يبيح, يحمي, يبرر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮יפוי-כוח, צו-חיפוש, פקודת מעצר, הצדקה, סמכות, הרשאה, ערובה, כתב, כתב מינוי‬
v. tr. - ‮הצדיק, הרשה, ערב ל-, הבטיח‬

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