entitle
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb (transitive):
- To give someone a legal or official right to have or do something.
- To give a title, name, or designation to a book, film, piece of art, etc.
Usage
- To give a right or claim: This is the most common usage. It is often followed by "to" + a noun or "to" + a verb.
- Structure:
entitle someone to (something) - Example: Your years of service entitle you to a full pension.
- Example: This ticket entitles the bearer to one free drink.
- To give a title or name: This usage is common in artistic and formal contexts.
- Structure:
entitle something (as) + Title - Example: She entitled her novel "Echoes of the Past."
- Example: The sculpture was entitled "The Thinker."
Examples
- Giving a right:
- Being a citizen entitles you to vote.
- The warranty entitles you to a free repair.
- The law entitles every employee to a safe working environment.
- Giving a title:
- The artist has not yet entitled his latest painting.
- He wrote a poem entitled "Ode to Autumn."
Advanced Usage
- Passive voice: Very common, especially with the "right" meaning.
- You are entitled to your opinion. (Meaning: You have the right to hold your own opinion.)
- Passengers are entitled to compensation for the delay.
- Formal/Legal Context: The word is frequently used in legal documents, policies, and formal announcements to specify rights.
- The contract entitles the licensor to 10% of all royalties.
Variants and Related Words
- Entitlement (noun): The fact of having a right to something; a government benefit that qualified individuals have a legal right to receive.
- Example: There is a debate about social security entitlements.
- Titled (adjective): Having a title of nobility.
- Example: She comes from a titled family. (Note: This relates to a specific, less common meaning of "entitle" meaning to confer a noble title.)
Synonyms
- For "give a right": authorize, qualify, permit, allow, empower.
- For "give a title": name, call, title, designate, dub.
Related Phrases
- Feel entitled (to): (Idiomatic) To believe, often unreasonably, that one deserves special treatment or privileges.
- Example: He feels entitled to success without putting in the work.
- Be entitled to: The standard phrase indicating possession of a right.
- Example: Full-time employees are entitled to health insurance.
Notes on Meaning
The core idea of "entitle" is to provide with a title in a broad sense. This can be: 1. A legal title (a right or claim), or 2. A literal title (a name). The context always makes clear which meaning is intended.
Verb
- give a title to someone; make someone a member of the nobility
- give a title to
- give the right to
- The Freedom of Information Act entitles you to request your FBI file