warrant.

1. A reason or evidential basis sufficient to support an inference, belief or action.

2. A document issued by an authorized body permitting or directing a specified action.

3. Be sufficient to justify or call for a specified response.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• evidential warrant
• warrant for an inference

On the page

The interviews provided warrant for a limited conclusion, not a universal one.

The inference lacked warrant because the comparison groups differed in a relevant respect.

Usage notes

Primary category: analysis / argumentation / evidence. Forms: Singular warrant; plural warrants. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: evidence, argumentation, evaluation, qualification. Disciplines: reasoning, research, essay writing. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: warrants.