warrant

warrant — verb

1. If a situation, fact, or event warrants a particular action or response, it prov

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

If a situation, fact, or event warrants a particular action or response, it provides sufficient reason for that action to be taken or considered appropriate.

Example

Jiwoo's doctor said the injury did not warrant a visit to the hospital.

warrant + noun phrase (visit/investigation)

The sudden drop in temperature warranted a warning to local farmers about frost.

Common collocations
  • warrant attention
  • warrant investigation
  • warrant a response
  • warrant concern
  • warrant further study
Synonyms
  • justify

    broader and more common; can apply to any reason or explanation, not just a sufficient one

  • call for

    less formal, suggests a situation demands a particular response

  • merit

    suggests something deserves a response based on its positive qualities

Antonyms
  • nullify

    to cancel the justification for something

Grammar Patterns

warrant + noun phrase

warrant + gerund

does not warrant + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used in formal or official contexts, especially law and business. The subject is typically a situation, condition, or fact rather than a person. 'Not warrant' followed by a gerund is a common pattern: 'does not warrant changing.'

Common Mistakes

The situation warrants to investigate further.
The situation warrants further investigation.
'warrant' takes a noun phrase or gerund, not a to-infinitive.

2. To state firmly and with strong certainty that something is true, correct, or wi

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

To state firmly and with strong certainty that something is true, correct, or will happen as described.

Example

Adina warranted that the shipment would arrive before the Friday deadline.

warrant + that-clause

Lakshmi told the customer, "I warrant this watch keeps perfect time with no errors."

Common collocations
  • warrant that
  • I'll warrant
  • I warrant you
Synonyms
  • guarantee

    more common in modern English, especially in business and everyday speech

  • assure

    focuses on removing someone's doubt rather than declaring a fact

  • vouch for

    phrasal verb; implies personal responsibility for the truth of something

Grammar Patterns

warrant + that-clause

I'll warrant (you) (that)

Usage Note

This sense is somewhat old-fashioned or literary in modern English. The fixed expression 'I'll warrant (you)' is used to reassure someone about a fact. In everyday speech, 'I guarantee' or 'I promise' is far more common.

Common Mistakes

I warrant you to come to the party.
I warrant that the information is correct.
'warrant' in this sense takes a that-clause about a fact, not an infinitive about someone's actions.

3. To make a formal promise that a product, service, or item meets a stated standar

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To make a formal promise that a product, service, or item meets a stated standard of quality, authenticity, or good working condition.

Example

The manufacturer warrants all electrical parts for a period of two years from purchase.

warrant + for + time period

Soraya bought a used car that was warranted to be free of any engine problems.

passive: be warranted to be + adjective

Common collocations
  • warrant free from defects
  • warrant the quality
  • warranted for
  • warrant as genuine
Synonyms
  • guarantee

    more common in everyday language; 'warrant' is more technical and legal

  • certify

    usually implies an official third-party verification rather than a seller's promise

  • underwrite

    to accept financial responsibility; used in insurance and finance

Grammar Patterns

warrant + noun phrase

be warranted + for + time period

warrant + that-clause

Usage Note

Common in commercial and legal writing. Often used in the passive voice: 'the product is warranted for one year.' The that-clause pattern ('warrant that') overlaps with sense 2 but here it focuses on a product's qualities rather than declaring a general fact.

Common Mistakes

The phone is warranted for to be waterproof.
The phone is warranted to be waterproof.
After 'warranted', use a to-infinitive or that-clause, not 'for to'.
Idioms

I'll warrant (you)

idiom

Used to say with confidence that something is true, or to reassure someone about a fact — often implying personal knowledge or experience.

I'll warrant you, no one in this town knows the old forest paths better than I do.

warrant — noun

Word family

  • warranted
    adjectiveC1
  • unwarranted
    adjectiveC1
  • warrantable
    adjectiveC1
  • warrantor
    nounC1
  • warrantee
    nounC1
  • warranty
    nounB2
  • warrantless
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These five verbs all mean that something provides a reason for an action, but they differ in strength and formality. 'Warrant' is the most formal and often carries a legal or official tone — a situation warrants an investigation when there is sufficient factual basis. 'Justify' is broader and more common; it can apply to any reason or explanation that defends a decision ('The results justified the effort.'). 'Call for' is less formal and suggests that a situation demands a particular response ('The crisis called for immediate action.'). 'Merit' implies that something deserves attention or reward based on its positive qualities ('The proposal merits serious discussion.'), and is weaker than 'warrant' — merit suggests worthiness, while warrant suggests necessity. 'Necessitate' is the strongest: it means the action is unavoidable ('The injury necessitated surgery.'). For a learner: use 'justify' for general explanations, 'warrant' for formal or legal contexts, and 'call for' in everyday speech.

warrant ↗justify ↗call for ↗merit ↗necessitate

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • search warrant
  • arrest warrant
  • bench warrant
  • death warrant
  • stock warrant
  • warrant of arrest
  • without warrant
  • issue a warrant
  • exercise a warrant

Prepositions

Etymology

FrankishOld North FrenchAnglo-NormanMiddle EnglishEnglish

Warrant entered Middle English from Old North French warant (protector, guarantor), which came from Frankish *warand- (to guard or protect). The noun sense of a legal document authorizing an arrest or search developed in the early 1300s, based on the idea that a judge's authority 'protects' the officer from legal liability. The verb meaning 'to guarantee the quality of something' emerged in the 1300s from the same root, and the meaning 'to justify or make necessary' followed in the 1500s. Modern financial meanings (stock warrant) developed in the 1800s.