A more thorough explanation:

Definition: To authorize means to give someone the power to do something or to officially approve something.

Example 1: The manager authorized the employee to make purchases up to $500.

Example 2: The government authorized the construction of a new highway.

These examples illustrate how someone in a position of authority can give permission or power to someone else. In the first example, the manager is giving the employee the power to make purchases up to a certain amount. In the second example, the government is officially approving the construction of a new highway.