reauthorize

verb

re·​au·​tho·​rize (ˌ)rē-ˈȯ-thə-ˌrīz 

reauthorized; reauthorizing; reauthorizes

transitive verb

: to authorize (something or someone) again

especially : to renew the authority or effective legal power, warrant, or right of

called for Congress to reauthorize the Clean Water Act

Since passage, each law has been amended or "reauthorized," a confusing process under which existing statutes are reenacted with new language.

—Gregg Easterbrook

reauthorization

(ˌ)rē-ˌȯ-th(ə-)rə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

plural reauthorizations

Congressional leaders are expected to continue negotiating a long-term reauthorization of the program in the coming weeks.

—Mike Debonis

Examples of reauthorize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The dental organization also supports bills that would provide adult dental coverage to Medicaid recipients and reauthorize a grant program for dental providers to practice in underserved areas, including rural communities. —Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2024

Earlier this year, Vance co-sponsored the bill to reauthorize funding for the program from 2027 to 2031. —Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2024

Three months after that, the House Ethics Committee reauthorized its own investigation of Gaetz. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2024

The program should have been reauthorized last year, but the deadline was extended due to partisan divide. —Carrie Welton, TIME, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above