Both Uses of

sanction
in
1984, by Orwell

Repairs, except what you could do for yourself, had to be sanctioned by remote committees which were liable to hold up even the mending of a window-pane for two years.
p. 21.1 *

sanctioned = approved

No imaginable committee would ever sanction such a marriage even if Katharine, Winston's wife, could somehow have been got rid of.
p. 132.0

sanction = approve

Definitions:

(1) (sanction as in: cannot sanction such behavior)
formal approval

Ironically, this word has contradictory meanings that are frequently used. When selecting words for an audience who may not be sure of this word's contextual meaning, consider substituting a word like endorse for this sense of sanction.
(2) (sanction as in: sanctions against them)
formal penalty

This word has contradictory meanings that are frequently used. When selecting words for an audience who may not be sure of this word's contextual meaning, consider substituting words like penalize for this sense of sanction.