Meets Your Approval vs. Meets With Your Approval – Which is Correct?
Both “meets your approval” and “meets with your approval” are grammatically correct. “Meets your approval” is shorter and more direct, while “meets with your approval” is more formal and emphasizes receiving approval or a response. In most contexts, either phrase works, but maintain consistency with your desired tone and audience.
Table of Contents
- Meets Your Approval or Meets With Your Approval – Which is Correct?
- How to Use “Meets Your Approval”
- How to Use “Meets With Your Approval”
- Related Concepts
- Examples from Media and Literature
- Practice Exercises
- “Meets Your Approval” Synonyms
- “Meets With Your Approval” Synonyms
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
Meets Your Approval or Meets With Your Approval – Which is Correct?
Both “meets your approval” and “meets with your approval” are correct English phrases. They express the idea that something is acceptable to someone or has received someone’s approval.
“Meets your approval” is the more concise construction. It uses meet as a transitive verb, with your approval as its object. This version is natural in everyday writing, business communication, and direct statements.
“Meets with your approval” is also grammatical, but it is slightly more formal. The phrase emphasizes the response or reception that an idea, proposal, decision, or plan receives. It can sound more deliberate or diplomatic, especially in formal correspondence.
The Best Trick to Remember the Difference
Use the directness test: if you want to say that something is acceptable to someone, use “meets your approval.” If you want to emphasize how a proposal or decision is received, use “meets with your approval.”
For example, “The design meets your approval” sounds direct and efficient. “The design meets with your approval” sounds more formal and focuses on the design’s reception. When in doubt, “meets your approval” is usually the simpler choice.
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| meets your approval | Verb phrase | Is acceptable to you | The revised schedule meets your approval. |
| meets with your approval | Prepositional verb phrase | Receives or gains your approval | The proposal meets with your approval. |
How to Use “Meets Your Approval”
“Meets your approval” is a concise, professional phrase meaning “is acceptable to you” or “satisfies your standards.” It is especially useful when discussing plans, designs, recommendations, drafts, arrangements, or completed work.
The phrase is neutral in tone and works in both formal and casual contexts. It is often preferable when you want your sentence to be clear and economical. The possessive determiner can also change depending on the person whose approval is being discussed, as in meets the committee’s approval or meets our approval.
Example 1: Please confirm whether the final layout meets your approval.
Example 2: We will proceed with the order if the revised terms meet your approval.
Example 3: The completed renovation meets the client’s approval.
Etymology of the Phrase “Meets Your Approval”
The phrase combines the verb meet with the noun approval. In this expression, meet has the figurative meaning “to satisfy” or “to fulfill a requirement.” Approval comes from the Late Latin approbare, meaning “to approve” or “to regard as good.”
How to Use “Meets With Your Approval”
“Meets with your approval” means that something receives, gains, or encounters your approval. The preposition with highlights the reaction or reception directed toward the subject.
This construction is grammatical in American English and often has a more formal, diplomatic, or traditional tone than meets your approval. It commonly appears in discussions of proposals, recommendations, official decisions, and requests for authorization.
Example 1: We will publish the report once its conclusions meet with your approval.
Example 2: The committee hopes that the recommendation meets with your approval.
Example 3: If the proposed changes meet with your approval, the team can begin implementation next week.
Etymology of the Phrase “Meets With Your Approval”
This phrase uses the older idiomatic pattern meet with, meaning “to receive” or “to encounter” a particular response. In expressions such as meet with success, meet with resistance, and meet with approval, with introduces the reaction or treatment that something receives.
Related Concepts
Understanding transitive verbs, prepositional phrases, and tone helps explain why both versions are correct but produce slightly different effects.
- Transitive verb: A transitive verb takes a direct object. In “The plan meets your approval,” meets acts directly on your approval.
- Prepositional phrase: In “The plan meets with your approval,” with your approval is a prepositional phrase that describes the response the plan receives.
- Formal register: “Meets with your approval” can sound more formal or diplomatic, while “meets your approval” is generally more direct.
- Approval versus acceptance: Approval suggests a favorable judgment or authorization, whereas acceptance can simply mean acknowledgment or willingness to receive something.
Examples from Media and Literature
Both constructions can appear in professional journalism, historical writing, fiction, and formal correspondence. The examples below demonstrate how the phrases work in different styles.
- News reporting: A report about a proposed policy might state, “The revised plan meets the mayor’s approval,” using the concise form to describe official acceptance.
- Business communication: A project manager might write, “If the budget meets your approval, we will authorize the next phase,” using a direct and practical tone.
- Historical or political writing: A formal account might describe a treaty as having “met with the approval of the council,” emphasizing the institution’s response.
- Literary dialogue: A character speaking ceremoniously might ask whether a proposal “meets with your approval,” reflecting a more traditional or deferential style.
- Editorial writing: A reviewer could write, “The author’s final argument meets the reader’s approval,” presenting approval as the result of an evaluation.
Practice Exercises
Choose the phrase that best completes each sentence. Both options are grammatically possible, but consider tone and emphasis.
- The final design ______ before we send it to the printer. (meets your approval / meets with your approval)
- If the recommendation ______, the board will adopt it immediately. (meets your approval / meets with your approval)
- The straightforward wording is most likely to ______. (meet your approval / meet with your approval)
- The formal letter asked whether the proposed settlement would ______. (meet your approval / meet with your approval)
- Please let us know whether the revised contract ______. (meets your approval / meets with your approval)
Answer Key
- meets your approval — The sentence favors the shorter, more direct construction.
- meets with your approval — The formal context emphasizes the board’s response.
- meet your approval — This is the concise expression of acceptance.
- meet with your approval — The wording is formal and deferential.
- meets your approval — The direct version is natural in a business request.
“Meets Your Approval” Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| satisfies your standards | Meets the level of quality or expectation you require. |
| is acceptable to you | Is considered suitable or satisfactory. |
| has your approval | Has been approved or authorized by you. |
| wins your approval | Successfully gains your favorable judgment. |
| passes your review | Satisfies your examination or evaluation. |
“Meets With Your Approval” Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| receives your approval | Obtains your favorable judgment or authorization. |
| gains your approval | Earns or obtains your agreement. |
| wins your support | Secures your encouragement or backing. |
| is favorably received | Receives a positive response or reaction. |
| is authorized by you | Receives your official permission to proceed. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is “meets your approval” correct?
Yes. “Meets your approval” is grammatically correct and means that something is acceptable to you. It is concise, clear, and suitable for both professional and everyday writing.
Is “meets with your approval” correct?
Yes. “Meets with your approval” is also correct. It has a somewhat more formal tone and emphasizes that a proposal, plan, or decision receives a favorable response.
Which is better: “meets your approval” or “meets with your approval”?
Neither is universally better. Use “meets your approval” for direct, economical wording. Choose “meets with your approval” when you want a more formal or diplomatic tone, especially when emphasizing the approval as a response.
Should I write “meet” or “meets”?
Use meets when the subject is singular, as in “The proposal meets your approval.” Use meet when the subject is plural or when the phrase follows an auxiliary verb, as in “The proposals meet your approval” or “The proposal will meet your approval.”
Conclusion
Both “meets your approval” and “meets with your approval” are correct American English expressions. The first is shorter and more direct, while the second is more formal and highlights the favorable response a proposal receives. Pro Tip: In professional writing, choose the phrasing that matches your tone and use it consistently to make your communication sound polished and deliberate.
