prior approval
Green light beforehand
Prior approval is permission obtained before taking an action, rather than asking forgiveness afterward.
The phrase appears frequently in bureaucratic and institutional contexts: You need prior approval before purchasing equipment over five hundred dollars.
Insurance companies require prior approval for certain procedures; employers require it for expenses or time off.
The redundancy with "prior" emphasizes that approval must come first—distinguishing it from retroactive authorization.
- authorizationFormal permission granted
- permissionGranted right to act
- consentVoluntary agreement given
- permission slipWritten parental authorization
- clearancePermitted passage or approval
sanction · green light · go ahead · sign-off · rubber stamp · vetting · paperwork · bureaucracy · red tape · waiting · waiting period · pending · request · application · submit · review · supervisor · chain of command
- insuranceinsurance, coverage, auto insurance, life insurance, home insurance
- dental insurancecoverage, premium, premiums, deductible, deductibles
- health insurancepremium, deductible, copay, coverage, health insurance card
- medical billingmedical billing, claim, copay, copayment, co-payment
- UK Planningplanning permission, green belt, listed building, conservation area, development plan
- grantsfunding, research grants, government grants, awards, allocations
prior approvaldenial
Refusal to accept reality
prohibition · refusal · veto · disapproval · unauthorized action
prior approvalunauthorized action
Conduct lacking proper approval
fait accompli · unilateral action · carte blanche · implied consent
prior, approval, priors, priory, priority, priorities, prioritize, prioritized, prioritizing