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sancionar

to sanction

verb sahn-syoh-NAHR Less Common
People & Society Law

Also means

to penalise

Usage Note

Sancionar is notably ambiguous: it means both 'to sanction' in the sense of officially approving or enacting (a law, a norm) AND 'to penalise' or 'to punish' (a player, a country). Context is essential. In legal contexts sancionar una ley means 'to pass/enact a law,' while in sports or diplomacy sancionar a alguien means 'to penalise or sanction someone.'

Examples

"El árbitro decidió sancionar al jugador."

Natural Translation

The referee decided to penalise the player.

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